Of Shattered Lands and Ancient Plans
by Angemaler
Summary: In a shattered Golarion where magic is scarce, a group of young adventurers are caught up in a masked organization's ancient plot. This Pathfinder game was chronicled and elaborated upon by one of the players: a 3.5 year effort culminating in this novelization. The players are adults; their characters experience adult themes including language, sex, and violence. Reviews welcome.
1. Prologue

**Attribution & Copyright**

This effort is a culmination of many ideas, experiences, and a love for the game. The adventure was created by Vankaizer, the dungeon master, as an alternate reality in the Paizo Pathfinder universe of Golarion. One of the players that experienced his game, Angemaler, chronicled the events that occurred in the game. This was then transcribed into a document that was shared with the other players. Elaborations and embellishments of all sorts were later added by Angemaler, Vankaizer, and fellow players Exclaimella and LegacyR to make the story flow better, and to give the player characters a chance to have more interactions with each other. Other players that experienced the adventure included BilltheLeadMagnet, Xorby, SsocialCalamity, LeBronGames, Iwannalivelivelive, and a guest appearance by KTGo. The background stories that all the players created were woven into the story at various places, and epilogues were added to give closure for some players, and lead-ins to the next adventure for others.

This novelization uses trademarks and/or copyrights owned by Paizo Inc., which are used under Paizo's Community Use Policy. We are expressly prohibited from charging you to use or access this content. This novelization is not published, endorsed, or specifically approved by Paizo Inc. For more information, see Paizo's Community Use Policy page. For more information about Paizo Inc. and Paizo products, please visit Paizo online.

 **Golarion Calendar Reference**

January: Abadius ; February: Calistril ; March: Pharast ; April: Gozran ; May: Desnus ; June: Sarenith ; July: Erastus ; August: Arodus ; September: Rova ; October: Lamashan ; November: Neth ; December: Kuthona

* * *

 **Prologue**

 ** _The World of Nordost_**

In the world of Golarion during the 3rd Astra Era, westward across the Arcadian Sea, there lies a young continent named Nordost. It comprises four landmasses: Stora the mainland, Andra a large island to the east, Luna a smaller island to the southeast, and finally the smallest of the main landmasses Portilla to the south. Discovered just over 300 years ago, the longer-lived races still remember when she was young and untouched by the Eastern world. Before Nordost was discovered, tribes of Centaur, Lizardfolk, and Serpentfolk had settled the land, but now most have been pushed aside. Centaurs inhabit a southwestern peninsula of Nordost, and most Serpentfolk and Lizardfolk have been integrated into society, or have been driven underground with the coming of settlers from the East during the advent of the 3rd Astra Era. The official ending of the 2nd Umbra Era marked a new beginning for the world now freed from the darkness brought upon by the calamity-some say the second calamity, but none but the oldest and wisest know for sure.

It is rumored that the calamity ended an era when creatures of legend roamed the world; ogres, giants, elementals, dire animals, and dragons. Those monsters are now known in stories that parents tell their children before bed, or old men talk about around the fire. It is also said that the old era was a time when magic was abundant and the gods listened to one's prayers. Now though, magic is a rarity, and the gods have fallen into a slumber.

 ** _Shrouds_**

The year is 323 in the 3rd Astra Era, and the creak of wagon wheels traversing down a dirt road is the only sound to be heard. Waving fields of grass spread out like an ocean of green. From the back of the wagon two long skinny legs kick back and forth. They belong to a teenage elvish boy who is laying on his back, staring up at the blue skies from the back of the wagon, his emerald green eyes following the small puffs of clouds as they float by. He sits up and looks about at the assortment of clay pots and jars packed together along with his family's other personal belongings. He pushes his shoulder-length platinum blonde hair back behind his ears as he looks toward the front of the wagon while eyeing his parents: an elderly couple yet still fair in complexion thanks to their elvish blood. They are casually chatting, paying no mind to their son.

His hands creep toward one of the clay pots, _Perhaps I can swipe a roasted chestnut as a snack_.

His hand reaches the lid, and ever so slightly begins to move it ajar, just enough to fit his thin hand through. Just before he is about to make his move he looks back at his parents, his movement must be swift and precise or else he will be caught. His father points out something on the horizon to his mother, and with their gaze averted the boy makes his move. With lightning reflexes his hand shoots into the jar, fingertips grasping onto a single chestnut before pulling back out. Suddenly the cart shifts violently when the front wheel drops into a deep rut in the road. The lid of the jar topples onto the bed of the cart, cracking it in two. The sudden sound causes his parents to look back, catching the boy with a chestnut shoved halfway in his mouth.

Punishment would be handed out as the family stops for the night near a small grove. For his stolen chestnut, the teen is instructed to collect kindling for the fire. He reluctantly abides by his parents' instructions and spends a good twenty minutes gathering not only kindling but some dried logs from a nearby fallen tree, grumbling only occasionally at his sentence.

Evening sets in and the family sits around the open fire as they pass around freshly picked berries and roasted nuts while their horse grazes on short thickets of grass around the cart.

The boy's mother looks lovingly at her husband and says, "How much longer, dear, do you think until we reach this city Zerzura?"

The boy's father sighs and shakes his head, thinking for a moment before responding, "Well, that traveling merchant said that Zerzura was on this road to the north...perhaps a day's ride out? It seems like the right place for our current need."

He lowers his voice, trying to not include the boy in the conversation as he continues, "I want us to hide in a city...we need to disappear. I will try to explain when we have the time, and when I think we are safe-"

The mother gives a frustrated huff, "Well I don't understand why we had to leave Celahir Lossehelim so suddenly, and why you can't tell us where we're going...you have never been so secretive like this."

The boy pretends to not be listening as he munches on a handful of dried blueberries, _What would father be hiding from us? I have never seen him act so secretive_.

He wonders to himself what may be causing his father so much worry; taking the effort to suddenly uproot his family and head off in a random direction. He is snapped out of his inner thoughts by his mother, who nestles up next to him with a warm smile and offers him a chestnut.

It is the middle of the night, and the young elf blearily opens his eyes; the tent is dark, its thin tarpaulin canvas lightly billowing in the breeze. He feels the warmth of his mother next to him and hears her light breathing. He hates that he needs to leave the comfort of their shared blanket, but nature is calling. As quietly as he can he scoots himself out from under the covers and out the end of the tent. A cool air disturbs the warmth of the tent as he pushes the tent flap open and steps outside, and he hears his parents shift slightly from the disturbance.

 _Best do my business away from camp_ , he thinks as he shuffles toward a more wooded area.

A few rows of trees in he finds a quiet spot, and relieves himself with a sigh. He finishes with a few shakes, ties his trousers back up, and begins to head back to camp. The sudden realization of the silent night hits him: not the sound of an owl, or chirp of a cricket has broken the still air of the woods. Every step sounds an echo of crunching leaves disturbing the unnatural silence. His stomach sinks from a moment of fear at the silence of the dark night, and then he gasps as he hears the sound of steel being plunged into bodies.

The terrifying sound is followed by unfamiliar voices shouting, "Where's the boy?! The Organization wants the whole family dead! Find him! You two find the journal! Everyone else, find the boy, then rendezvous in Trampa!"

True fear grips the boy, and without thought he turns and blindly sprints into the woods. He rushes past trees that seem to jump out in front of him, and pushes brush aside, scratching his thin legs on brambles. His foot suddenly catches on an exposed root, and he plunges headfirst down into a deep gully. The force of the landing knocks his breath out momentarily, and the world goes dark.

Early morning rays slowly bring the boy out of his stupor. A layer of fallen leaves and dirt cover his thin body. As he lifts himself up he feels sharp pain from the back of his head to his legs. He slowly rolls over, pushes himself up onto his knees, and looks up from where he fell. The steep side of the gully ascends some 30 feet; no signs or sounds of his pursuers, just the coos of the morning doves. That moment of peace quickly dissipates as the haunting sounds of the night before begin to creep back into his mind. He begins to panic, and frantically starts climbing up the steep gully, desperate to find his parents.

By the time he reaches the top his hands are scratched and covered in dirt. Despite the danger he knew might be nearby, he takes off, striding through the forest undergrowth. Barreling his way forward, he ignores the multiple cuts and lacerations he receives from the flora that lay in his path. The campsite quickly comes into view and he slows down, ducking behind the trunk of a large tree. His heart races, and his eyes dash around looking for any sign of his pursuers, ears fixed on picking up the sound of movement.

There was nothing.

Slowly he begins to move forward, keeping a low profile, heart racing ever more as the scene of the upturned campsite unfolds. He feels the blood rush out of his face and a cold sweat sets in; his family's collapsed tent is stained with blood, and sits in a heap near the burned out fire. His hands tremble, he knew what lay underneath. He stares transfixed, eyes welling with tears, his legs buckle, and he can no longer stand. He slouches to the ground with tears running down his face. There the boy cries, calling out for impossible aid from the gods, from anybody. He cries, and curses all of Nordost for why or how this could happen.

Hours pass him by, until his cries are nothing more than whimpers.

Soon the sun begins to fall behind the horizon, and a cool night breeze sets in. The boy shivers and his stomach growls. With the little energy he has left, he pulls himself to his feet and fumbles his way over to the cart, pushing himself up into the back where he lies down among the scattered personal belongings. His mother's clay jars were smashed, the dried fruits, nuts, and berries scattered everywhere. His eyes begin to well up once again at the sight of chestnuts. Wiping away his tears, he pulls a nearby heavy blanket over himself, and for awhile he just lays there, eyes open, trying to gather his thoughts. Thoughts race through his head, he tries to make sense of everything, and keeps the thoughts of his parents to a minimum. Looking around at all of the goods thrown about he realizes that there isn't much missing, and at a second glance determines that nothing at all is missing!

 _Odd that bandits wouldn't take anything_ , he ponders while absentmindedly shifting some of the scattered goods.

With the blanket still around him he sits up in the cart. Near the front sits a small chest used to store some of his father's more prized possessions: it is open. The boy scooches towards it. Inside he finds a fountain pen, parchment, a few gemstones, and even a pouch of silver coins,

 _What is this? Nothing is taken!_

Riffling through his father's things again and again, he tries to make sense of it all. Then it dawns on him; there was one thing that was missing.

Pushing the blanket off, he begins looking around the cart in a frenzy, but the object in question is nowhere to be found. His father's leather bound journal; it was gone. The only thing that was gone...

 _ **Ekat Kassen**_

The town of Kassen is located at the southern edge of Ani, a nation situated to the north and in the center of the mainland continent of Stora. Known as the Southern Freelands of Ani, this region missed much of the war with the advancing armies of Isidore 16 years ago, being located deep in the woods and off major roads. It is so-called for being far to the south, and away from the regular goings-on of the kingdom's heart in the city of Elysia to render Kassen and the region self-governing. Culturally Ani is a kingdom that favors physical strength and willpower. The Great White Bear that stands upon the flag of Ani symbolizes a hardy people: rugged, and adapted to harsh, long winters. Kassen is small and poor, having only about 750 inhabitants and a total wealth of about 500 gold. The population is not very racially diverse with the bulk of the people being human, and a few halflings, half-orcs, half-elves, and elves making up the rest of the village. They are a people devoted to the god Erastil: the lawful good god of family, hunting, trade, and farming. Within his temple there are also altars to Gozreh, the neutral god/goddess of the sea and weather; Gorum, the chaotic neutral god of battle, strength, and weapons; Shelyn, the neutral good goddess of art, beauty, love, and music; and Torag, the lawful good god of the forge, protection, and strategy. The local tavern and inn, the Seven Silvers, is the centrally located public venue where many of the inhabitants gather after a hard day's labor in the fields or hunting in order to gather news and share stories.

Kassen's founding begins with a man. Ekat Kassen set out to tame a section of the wilderness for himself after receiving a sizable profit from helping in the founding of Ani. From 197 to 199 he had served under a city-state ruler named Shramg during the Lehor War between the city state of Morrona and neighboring city states that it hoped to claim for itself. In defeat Kassen had followed Shramg to found a new land in the harsh tundra to the north. Shramg claimed the territory for his own and they became the first lords of Ani. Ekat Kassen was given leave to find a place to govern for himself with Shramg's blessings. He would eventually stumble across a clearing of land along the Tourondel River in the midst of the Fangwood Forest in the year 206. Untouched, peaceful, and full of resources Ekat began to build what would over the next 10 years become the town of Kassen.

Those 10 years were a pleasant time for Ekat and the townsfolk, but all that would change when Asar Vergas came to Kassen's hold. Asar was an old companion of Ekat during the war between what would eventually become the nations of Ani and Reynes. The two had parted ways on bad terms, Asar sure of himself that Ekat had cheated him out of some resources. Asar had returned with a band of mercenaries, and the town was raided on and off for two months. With Ekat leading them, the townsfolk located the mercenary camp in an ancient Lizardfolk crypt, and after a bloody battle Asar was slain. It was not a joyous return to the town: Ekat was badly wounded, and passed away two days later. In honor of their fallen leader, the townsfolk named the town after him, and buried him in the crypt where his final battle was fought. Within his tomb an eternal flame was placed.

The Crypt of the Eternal Flame has become an important part of Kassen's history, a memorial to the difficult past the town had faced. Every autumn a group of townsfolk light a lantern from the eternal flame to burn throughout the winter: a symbol of the town's resilience. However, every few years a group of younger individuals are selected to make the journey. The quest acts as a rite of passage into adulthood; a taste of adventure before settling down to work and marriage. It commemorates the founding of the village of Kassen and the man it was named for, a crusader and fortune seeker who came to serve Ani when the kingdom was first forming.

 _ **Nordost in Recent Times**_

Nordost's recent past has its own dark clouds: it is now the year 367 in the 3rd Astra Era, and the continent is in its 16th year of recovery after a terribly long war with the Isidorian Empire located on the eastern island of Andra. Much of the east still remains in Isidorian control (Onogoro: home of the dwarves, Meropis: land of the Gnomish Caravans, and Orestes: Nordost's cultural capital). If it were not for the exhaustion of men and resources the war might have carried on, but now it stands as a prolonged peace that none wish to see end. Perhaps one day the Allied Kingdoms (Ani in the northern realm, Solaris: home to the Solar Knights, Reynes and the Knights of the Rose, and Kish: The Ruby of the Desert) will bring justice back to those fallen kingdoms in the east.


	2. The Eternal Light of Kassen: 6th of Neth

**6th of Neth, 367 of the 3** **rd** **Astra Era:** **The Night Before the Ceremony**

It is the beginning of the month of Neth in the Anian village of Kassen, and winter will soon close in on the village. The air is cold, and the village had already seen its first snowfall in mid-Lamashan. The village is in a festive mood because they are about to celebrate the rite of passage ceremony for the young adults of the village. It is the first time the rite of passage has been conducted since the war 16 years ago. The Crypt of the Eternal Flame rites would be enacted once again.

 _ **Roth, Myne, & Alex**_

In the woods surrounding Kassen the night before the ceremony, a young elf ranger dressed in soft boots, muted green pants and shirt silently walks through the forest with his bow drawn. His ash-blonde hair is pulled back from his face in a half-braid, and his sharp grey eyes are focused and alert, relishing his surroundings. He walks with the grace of an elf, but lacks the stunningly beautiful features of his brethren. Although because of his elven features he might still be considered striking with high, sharp cheekbones set in a stern face and a lithe figure. Damerothlin is hunting for big game, something to sustain him before the ceremony.

He is a newcomer to Kassen, having stumbled on the village only a couple of days earlier. On leave after completing his training, he has wandered far from home in search of adventure, and perhaps a place that he could call a second home: somewhere small, quiet, and hidden in the woods where he could find a few like-minded individuals with whom he could find meaning and purpose. Upon his arrival, he immediately felt an affinity for the little village, despite the overwhelming human majority. The temple was dedicated to Erastil, god of hunting and family, with a shrine to his own goddess Gozreh, and the quaint villagers were devoted to their small families that respected the harsh wild world around them.

He could tell that there was a celebratory air, and after he made some inquiries at the local tavern, he was informed that he had arrived at the right moment to be able to participate in a rite of passage with the rest of the village's young adults if it interested him.

The villagers gave meaningful grins at him when he expressed interest, saying things like, "Go on then, it will be a fun jaunt through the woods to a crypt, and back again!" and "Let our young'uns show you what it means to survive a winter!"

Considering he had just completed his coming-of-age rites with his own people, he felt compelled to participate in this village's ceremony. As an elf he was likely to have been alive the longest when compared to what would most likely be 'young adults' for humans, but he was still considered 'young' by his race's standards. All he knew about the ceremony was that he needed to show up in the center of the village in the morning, and if it was meant to be a fun jaunt through the woods to some creepy crypt, he wanted to be as prepared as possible.

He draws back his bow on possible quarry making rustling noises in nearby brush, and realizes just in time that it is not a creature. He eases the tension out of the bowstring, carefully lowering the bow and arrow as a half-elf with short, tousled strawberry-blonde hair and large almond-shaped green-blue eyes emerges from the brush carrying a satchel. She is wearing a utilitarian linen tunic and pants, and wears a stone with a hole through it as a pendant at her neck. Even though the girl was tall, Roth can tell from her face that she cannot be out of her teens by human standards...but a half-elf, he was unsure. Because of her stature, short hair, and lack of skirts she could almost be mistaken for a _he_ at a quick glance, but Roth easily notices the beautiful feminine features of her face coupled with the lines of a woman under the utilitarian clothes before making that mistake.

She gasps when she sees the stranger, holding up her hands when she sees the bow in the elf's hands and says, "That was close!"

Roth lets out a little breath of relief and says, "Yes it was. Luckily my reaction time with the bow was fast enough to catch it."

From behind the half-elf, Roth sees a snarling brown bear lumber into view, and Roth gives an audible * _gulp_ *.

The half-elf soothes the bear with a few words and a soft touch on its head, then turns to Roth and says, "Luckily for you I stayed Rauros; he doesn't take too kindly to anyone that would threaten me."

Roth nods, recognizing her as a druid for her talents with animals, and they seem to reach an understanding with each other.

The half-elf fidgets with her satchel and drops her eyes under Roth's silent gaze and awkwardly stammers, "I… I don't think I've seen you in the woods before. I'm Simbelmyne, you can call me Myne. Have you been in Kassen long...is there anything I can do for you? I mean… that came out wrong...um...can I help you?"

Roth watches as the young half-elf begins to blush, clearly unaccustomed to speaking to strangers. Despite being an elf of few words, he does his best to soothe the half-elf by patting his bow, "I'm out for a hunt. My name is Roth, and yes I am new to Kassen, but I wish to stay at least for a little while. I plan to participate in the rite of passage tomorrow, and I want something sustaining."

Myne holds up her satchel and says, "I will be participating in the rite of passage tomorrow as well. If you would like, I have gathered some berries and the last greens of the season that I would share with you and my family...but with a bow in hand, I am sure you are not after fruits and greens."

As they talk, they hear hoof beats coming from further down the trail. Myne's eyes widen, and she whispers to Roth, "There is wisdom in hiding, not all members of Kassen are friendly."

Each quickly takes cover: Roth quietly hides himself from view behind a tree, while Myne merely _tries_ to hide from view in a nearby bush. From down the trail, a strikingly handsome young human with dark brown hair, round green eyes, and a bit of stubble on his face approaches on horseback. Myne peers up at the approaching figure from her hiding spot, and sees that even without his armor, he is an impressive human with large shoulders and a serious expression.

As his eyes scan the trail, he sees Myne from the bushes and shouts, "Hail there!"

Silently cursing her hiding spot, she comes out with head bowed and eyes downcast (knowing he is some kind of lord because he is on horseback) and says, "Good evening m'lord."

He does not seem to be put off by the honorific and greets her kindly, saying, "Good evening. It feels good to see the familiar trails around Kassen."

At the closer vantage point, Myne recognizes him as Alexander Shieldheart, the son of Lord Shieldheart. In the village, Lord Shieldheart had a reputation for brutality and vicious deeds; the village's cowed citizens had quietly given him the title 'Lord Blackheart,' and she wonders to herself if Alex was like his father, or if he even knew about his father's deeds.

Out loud, she says, "I know you! You're Alexander Shieldheart. I haven't seen you in years, but I know it's you. I used to see you around the village occasionally when we were children. I'm Myne...Sara is my cousin."

He gives a small smile as he vaguely remembers two red-headed half-elves, the younger of which used to trail after the elder as she played with him and the older kids and says, "Myne! I'm just heading for the village now, fresh from my training to the north. Luckily I stopped off in the capital; I received a letter from father about the ceremony, otherwise I would have missed it! It's been ten years that I've been away, and I'm eager to see home again."

Myne nods and smiles at the genuine warmth and emotion coming from Alex as he talks about his training, and his eagerness to be home.

Alex beams at her and says, "Myne it was great to see you, and I'm sure I'll see you and Sara tomorrow as well, right?"

"You will, Alex. Sara and I will both be participating in the ceremony...I just can't believe it's really you, and that you're back!"

"I should continue on, father is expecting me, and the ceremony is tomorrow! I am eager to prove myself, and I need to prepare. Have a good evening!"

With that he clicks his tongue to urge his horse forward, and rides off down the trail to Kassen.

Roth comes out from hiding to join Myne on the trail as the figure rides away, and Myne gives Roth a smile and says, "Well, Alex has the right of it, it's getting dark and we have to prepare!"

She bids Roth good evening, following the same trail to the village. Roth watches her figure with a smile, already eager to prove himself to the village and to these two youths that would be participating in the ceremony. He turns his attention to his hunt, spending just enough time in the woods to snag something for dinner before heading to his accommodations at Kassen's Inn: The Seven Silvers.

 _ **Sara, Myne, & Alex**_

Just outside the village proper of Kassen, sitting with her back against one of the gate pillars, Saraneth is quietly sketching the beautiful river and surrounding tree line. A strand of her long auburn hair drops in front of her grey eyes, and she gives a little huff. She had been peacefully musing about the trail in front of her, imagining the amazing places that she might end up just by stepping out onto it, but as the fiery strand invades her vision her careful meditations were interrupted by a flare of anger; the elemental magics that lived within her blood spoke to her briefly of fire and revenge. Taking a long, deliberate breath to will her anger and magic to recede, she carefully sweeps her tresses back behind her pointed ears before it can smudge her charcoal sketch. She gives herself the pleasure of lighting one of her crumpled sketches on fire with a touch from her finger, and she smiles as she watches it smolder.

Movement on the trail causes her to look up from the shreds of ash, and she sees someone on horseback coming from the trail in the woods. She eyes him as he approaches, but does not recognize the handsome human as he rides past her, giving her a greeting that she returns with a cordial smile and nod before he heads down the road into the village. Not long after, she sees a figure she does recognize approaching on the trail: her cousin Myne with a satchel stuffed full for dinner and her companion Rauros in tow. Sara hails her cousin with a wave, standing and adjusting her skirts and shawl to wait for her cousin to approach.

When they are close, Myne gives her cousin a smile and says, "Sara! Did you recognize the man on horseback that just rode by?"

Sara gives Myne a curious look, "No. Why?"

Myne steels herself for a reaction from Sara and carefully says, "That was Alexander Shieldheart."

The name sinks coldly in Sara's stomach: the son of Lord _Blackheart_ , a man who will forever be held in contempt in the hearts of many, but never more so than in Sara: she had witnessed her mother's brutal slaying at his hands years ago. Sara closes her eyes, and breathes deeply, trying to suppress another flare-up.

Myne carefully continues with, "Alex says he will be participating in the ceremony tomorrow…"

Sara grits her teeth and in little more than a hiss says, "Traveling with that man might be more than I can bear-"

Myne knows of her cousin's anger and attempts to quench the flames by saying, "This man is not the one that has done you wrong… he may not even know of his father's deeds."

She holds up her satchel and continues, "Look, I found some wild greens and berries to add to dinner. Let's get this to Uncle Faramir's house, he's probably waiting for us. Mom says she might not make it to dinner; she's working on a new salve, so it will be just the three of us."

Her words and tone are enough to calm Sara's blood, and Sara gives a little nod, recognizing how accomplished Myne was at calming her inner fires. Myne and Sara retire to Sara's cottage on the outskirts of the village for dinner with Sara's father, one of the few elves of the village. After dinner, they decide that an early bed time would be best, and Myne heads back to her mother's cottage to rest and be ready for the next day.

Alex continues through town, making his way to his father's manor. Because of his extended absence in the northern parts of Ani, the home where he spent his youth doesn't feel like home now. Ten years away with very little correspondence with his father has created a sense of unfamiliarity, and the feeling that he needs to stand on ceremony. His mother's passing when he was seven had hit him hard, and his father had shut him in, refusing to allow him to interact with the rest of the village afterward. He kept to himself, read and played in his room alone, and finally began taking his lessons in swordplay. He had eagerly left for training as a squire when he was ten, and had more correspondence with his grandfather, the honorable paladin Arthur Songsteel, than with his father. Yet even that correspondence had mysteriously ended about a year after starting his paladin training.

He hesitates and makes a lengthy check of Sif's accommodations in the stables as he thinks back on his training. He had started his training as most young lords do: a squire under a knight at the capital city of Elysia. However, his training under Sir Daegum Icewind did not last long; only a year at best. The stout, brash, old dwarf had recognized the unique gifts of divine magic being worked through him, and after a lengthy conversation with the Elysia Knight Captain Herse Comre, the Anian knight had declared there was nothing that they could do for him. He had been gifted by the gods; Iomedae based on his gifts and the internal code that was already a part of who he was. Alex's father had no idea that the knights of Elysia had urged him to seek out the legendary paladin Sir Aemon Amaranth: Holy Paladin of Iomedae; Knight Commander of the Northern Cross 1st Cavalry Division. He truly was legend, even the knights of Elysia were unsure of his existence. They had simply given him a vague location from stories: that he resided on the highest peaks of the Medved Mountains in a small temple to Iomedae at the source of the Forel River.

It was a harsh pilgrimage that Alex had made on his own, but sure enough, he found the small temple of white granite carved into the mountainside. Therein, he found Sir Aemon, who took him in and trained him under the code of the Paladins of Iomedae. There were not many left; in fact, Sir Aemon had admitted that Alex was his first pupil since Alex's grandfather, which had elicited shock from him at the time, as well as gratitude for Iomedae's blessing. He had even established correspondence with his grandfather for about a year before the letters stopped rather abruptly, and his grandfather seemed to disappear. His training was harsh, like the mountains around him, and after nine years' time Sir Amaranth deemed him worthy of the title 'paladin' after a sign from the goddess. Seemingly from Iomedae herself a glittering pendant of her symbol appeared at his neck upon the completion of one of his rigorous trials. It was the sign that Sir Amaranth was waiting for. He was ready to head out into the world like his grandfather; he even hoped to find some clues to his grandfather's whereabouts. He had stopped in Elysia to thank the knights that had started him on this path with the hopes of picking up information about his grandfather as well. Instead, he found a letter waiting for him recently penned by his father, asking for his return home to participate in his coming of age ceremony and to begin assuming the responsibilities of a young lord.

Here he was: at home, with the ceremony the next day. He could no longer double-check Sif's oat bag, it was time to face his father. This manor was not his though, and he swallows down his trepidation before finally knocking on the door. The butler greets him warmly, and ushers him into the large and splendid dining hall where his father sits at one end of a massive table, surrounded by enough food to feed half the village.

As Alex approaches the table, Lord Shieldheart looks up from his turkey leg and says, "Alex, it's been years! Come, sit at the table, have some dinner. It must have been a long trek from the north."

He takes a few more mouthfuls of food and gulps of wine as Alex carefully makes himself a plate, and then tries to drum up conversation with his rather silent son by saying, "Well, you're all grown now, a true knight. How was your training?"

Alex dutifully answers, but his responses are short, unsure of how much to talk, "It was rigorous, but Sir Aemon Amaranth was an excellent paladin to train under."

Mid-chew, Lord Shieldheart laughs a big booming laugh, bits of food spurting out, "Bahaha! Sir Aemon Amaranth! Quit with the faerie tale, boy! Now seriously, how was your training with Sir Icewind?"

Slightly unsettled by his father's outburst, Alex dons a serious expression as he says, "Sir Aemon Amaranth is real. Sir Icewind declared himself unable to train me, so I was set on the path to seek Sir Aemon out. I have trained with him in the Medved Mountains for the past nine years. I am a Paladin of Iomedae, sir."

Alex pulls on a chain at his neck, producing from under his shirt the pendant of Iomedae bestowed upon him by the divine: a golden sword with a sunburst at its hilt.

Lord Shieldheart's jaw drops at the sight of the pendant, but he quickly recovers, almost dismissing his son's words, "Surely...come now. So, onto more important matters: what other nobles have you interacted with in Elysia? Is the name Shieldheart one to be respected in those parts?"

His brief time spent in Elysia had told him that the name Shieldheart was nothing to the other nobles in Ani, and despite his father's dismissal of his achievement, he tries to pick his words carefully, "Despite our town's trading in raw goods, I am afraid to say that our name was known to very few nobles."

At his answer, Alex watches as his father's face turns into a look of disdain.

Alex attempts to steer the conversation in another direction, "But the Eternal Flame of Kassen...this ceremony has not been invoked for over sixteen years! This is a time to celebrate. I ran into some of my peers as I rode into town. I haven't seen them in years: Sara and Myne the two half-elf cousins-"

Lord Shieldheart cuts him off at those words and with venom in his voice says, "You steer clear of those half-breeds, they are not worth your time! It is your duty to uphold and spread the honor and glory of the Shieldheart name, and mingling with the innkeeper's daughter and her little bastard cousin will not do it!"

Alex breathes heavily to try to recover from his father's outburst and attempts to acquiesce to him by quietly saying, "Yes, father… will you be present at the ceremony? You are the lord of these lands after all…"

Lord Shieldheart seems to be soothed by his dutiful son's answer, and with a sidelong glance says, "Yes...well, I will try to make an appearance."

After taking a few more bites of dinner, Alex excuses himself from the table, mentioning to his father the need for a good night's rest. Alex makes his way up to his old room where a fire has been lit in the grate by the butler. It was comfortable, and as he looks around his memory supplies a vision of his mother playing with him in his room before her passing. It was brief, but creates a sinking feeling in his stomach as he dresses for bed. He is slightly worried about the life that he has come back to, and what the name Shieldheart truly means to himself and the village he wishes to serve. His sleep is intermittent, filled with troubling worries and thoughts of his father's vile outbursts alongside the longing for a mother that died too soon.

 _ **Lo & Tarian**_

When night descends in Kassen, the village falls asleep in all but one place: the Seven Silvers Inn. Warm light pours out from the windows, and inside the Inn is making a night of it. With the festival in full swing, and the ceremony starting the following morning, many villagers and outsiders alike have made their way to the tavern to spend their coppers on drink and converse with others. Lothar brought his best songs to the inn, knowing that it would be packed. He had set up in his usual place in the corner of the tavern, and lets his long black hair loose from the ponytail that was holding it back, letting it hang somewhat rakishly around him to give him a mysterious or unruly look depending on your perspective on life. He scans the room with his grey eyes, looking for some tell of what song would be the best fit for the crowd. He had a knack for music, more than just playing a good tune. He knew he had power in his music, magic that flowed when he strummed the chords of his lute. He was a human with a tall, thin physique and attractive dark features; combined with his charm and musical talents he could live the life he wanted: getting by with as little work as possible, trading a song for a bed (often with a soft, warm body to share it with), and food and drink. Little else mattered to him at the age of eighteen, especially since he had lost his parents years ago, all thanks to a religious dispute with a couple of half-orcs. He normally did not let those thoughts take up residence in his otherwise carefree life, but they had recently been thrust back to his consciousness in a manner that was somewhat out of his control.

He scans the crowd, and sees the shady elf named Tarian seated at a long table somewhat in the center of the tavern with his worn, black traveling boots up on a nearby bench. He is leaning against a column behind him, and he seems to be lost in quiet contemplation, although Lo supposes that the elf is probably listening intently to the conversations around him. The day before, Lo had purchased information from him that was pricey but enlightening. The elf arrived in town a couple days prior, and was apparently buying information regarding Lord Shieldheart and two half-orcs. It was enough to pique Lo's interest, and he sought out the elf, wanting to know if there was a connection between the information that brought the elf to Kassen and anything related to the death of his parents.

It was worth the gold; Tarian had revealed the names of the half-orcs that had killed his parents: Turkûrz and Dalug-hai. He was only nine when it happened, but his parents were devout followers of Erastil, and two unknown half-orcs had slain them for their devout adherence to their god during an argument. What was worse was that the Lord of Kassen, _Blackheart_ , had pardoned them of the crime and released them. Apparently, the pardon was known to Tarian, mostly because of information the elf was seeking regarding the lord. Tarian also gave him information that the pardon may have come out of some kind of shady deal reached between the associates of the half-orcs and Lord Blackheart. Lo tunes his lute with a small grin at the thought of the information, and launches into a tavern ballad to speak to the celebratory atmosphere. His song instantly revs up the inn's clientele, and it brings in enough copper and even a silver to line his pockets and keep his pint glass full.

In the center of the tavern, Tarian briefly lifts his head at the sound of the music being played by the bard in the corner. He runs his hands through his long, platinum-blonde hair and tries to break himself out of his reverie. He had been lost in his own thoughts, drunk on them too, and if he hoped to get any useful information out of this reconnaissance opportunity he needed to focus. He felt like he was finally picking up a trail of possible accomplices in Kassen, he just could not believe that he was back here of all places in Nordost. He had caught wind of fresh information pinning an Anian Lord to some shady events, and he had too many connections to other circumstantial information making him think Lord Shieldheart was the Anian lord he needed to follow...it was just tough to think of Shieldheart right at the moment; there were other things in Kassen that had invaded his thoughts.

It had been 22 years since he had seen this village, but it was here of all places that he had his first leads on the murder of his family and the theft of a valuable heirloom: a journal that was his father's. Tarian blinks back the mist in his emerald green eyes, and swigs some of his beer to swallow the lump in his throat as he replays that memory again. Back then, he nearly got himself killed when he followed a possible lead to the killers. He had tracked their caravan to an encampment in Fangwood Forest, but they had somehow spotted him while he was sneaking around. Their archers managed to hit him with a couple of crossbow bolts, one in the chest near his heart and another near his knee. As they rushed out from their encampment to try to bring him in, he was able to evade capture by getting out of sight and then doubling back as they fanned out. When the way was clear, he stumbled his way to within a half-mile of the village of Kassen, bleeding out from his wounds with no useful information gleaned. In the forest, desperate to reach the village, he finally collapsed from exhaustion and blood loss. As he laid on the ground taking what he thought were going to be his last breaths he saw a young human woman in a traveling cloak approaching him, and kneeling over him with a concerned but determined expression with the bright green leaves of the spring forest canopy above her. He remembered no more from that day.

Tarian stares into his pint glass as he recalls her features: bright blue eyes, pale skin, and long, dark red hair; he takes another swig to clear another lump that was forming in his throat. The beer was good for that much...and he could no longer recall how many he had already consumed for the purpose. Her name was Brynn Elladan, and she was the village herbalist. When he had regained consciousness three days later, he had found himself on a feather bed in a small curtained room in her cottage with his wounds wrapped in clean linen bandages. When she noticed he was awake, she had come over to the bed to explain his situation: she was in the area collecting herbs when she found him, and luckily was carrying a freshly cut and very potent flowering plant that was able to stop the bleeding. While he did not remember, she was able to get him to his feet, and with her supporting his weight they were able to make it back to her cottage on the outskirts of the village.

He needed time and expert care to recover from his wounds; a fever that sprang up a week after he was conscious had nearly taken him again, but under Brynn's careful watch he began to mend. She was beautiful, intelligent, optimistic, and caring. She spent many hours sitting at his bedside talking to him to keep his mind occupied, and over time he grew to love her. He told her his name (something he rarely gave out), an abbreviated reason for his injuries, and what he was seeking in the hopes that she might be able to aid him. She understood that he was being hunted, and kept his presence a secret.

From his bed in the curtained room, he would occasionally hear her talking with other villagers that came by for her services. He found out that she even had a twin sister… Rinna was her name... that ran the inn with her husband and small daughter. Brynn would make occasional visits to the inn for news, relaying back to him whether any strangers had come through asking for him. Brynn's niece had even spotted him one day as she wandered through the cottage while Brynn talked with Rinna. The little redhead could not have been more than three, but she had poked her head into the curtained room, and her grey eyes widened when she saw him on the bed. He made a playful gesture with his finger up to his lips for quiet, and then hid his eyes with his hands, hoping that she would understand that he was hiding.

She seemed to slowly nod in understanding, and then he heard Brynn call out, "Sara, that's Aunt Brynn's area."

Rinna continued, "We don't go into people's private areas, right?"

She carefully closed the curtain, with her eyes never leaving his until she disappeared from view, returning to her mother. She was the only one that had ever seen him there, and luckily she would be too small to remember him. When he was well enough to leave the bed, he realized more fully Brynn's sacrifice for his comfort and survival. He had pulled back the curtain, and stepped into the adjoining area, still limping from his injuries. Her cottage was small, which generally suited her since she lived alone. Her only bed was in the curtained-off area in the back of her cottage, and the rest of the floor space was consumed with her other living and working needs: a scrubbed wooden table with a couple chairs, a stone basin, some counters, and cabinetry. Various herbs were strung up from the rafters to dry, giving the whole cottage the wonderful scent of lavender and sweetgrass. He was moved when he saw a scraggly blanket and a pillow on the floor under her table where she had been sleeping for weeks. She was at the basin cleaning linen bandages, and his heart ached for her.

Tarian closes his eyes tightly, and as this memory plays in front of his vision, he could feel his heart beating faster.

He takes another sip of his beer, _Gods, why did I…I couldn't stop...I wanted her..._

The memory that he had brought to the forefront of his thoughts would not stop playing. He had stepped close behind her, and reached out to run his hands through her long, red hair as she worked, bringing her locks up to his lips and breathing in the scent of her hair. She had sighed softly at his touch, reached up to take his hand with hers, and then turned to face him.

She gave him a warm smile, looked deep into his eyes, and said, "I was wondering if you felt the same."

Without saying anything, he wrapped his arms around her, letting his hands roam up her back to her neck as he leaned in to kiss her deeply.

Tarian could feel his cheeks flushing with heat, and knew that it was not from the beer. He grins as his mind recalls their passionate nights together; from that day on they had shared her bed, and he spent the rest of the spring and most of the summer with her. They consumed each other, body and mind...he had never allowed himself that luxury, but his healing time necessitated the prolonged stay...until he was healed completely-

A loud * _thunk_ * nearby, followed by raucous laughter brings him out of his memories. Tarian sits up straight from the loud noise, realizing that now is not the time to dwell on Brynn. She was the reason he was in this mood, but that memory could be for later, when the local backwoods villagers that couldn't stay in their chairs weren't around.

Tarian takes another swig of beer, and pushes past what he wanted to linger on, remembering how much time had really gone by in her cottage. When he was well enough, and with Brynn's help, they had retraced Tarian's path through Fangwood Forest back in the spring, carefully trying to find any trace of the caravan and encampment that he had sought, only to find the area clear, with no signs of activity. It was disappointing to lose their trail, but he had to be thankful that they did not catch him. When the month of Erastus had come and gone, he could no longer ignore the fact that he put Brynn in danger by staying; despite the fact that his trail was cold, it was not certain that their tracks for him were likewise. Not much longer after that realization, Brynn brought fresh information picked up at the inn: the locals were mumbling about strange, cloaked figures to the south. With a heavy heart, and a promise to return, he had said his good-byes and headed out.

Tarian lets out a sigh as he looks at the bard named Lothar playing a jaunty tune for the crowd of revelers. Yesterday, that young human had paid him a good amount of gold for information, but little did Lo know, he had given Tarian more than he was ready for.

After gold had exchanged hands for the information on the half-orcs, Tarian had made a casual inquiry about his old lover, "Just out of curiosity, is there an herbalist in town?"

Lo nodded at the question, "Yeah, man. Brynn is an herbalist that lives in the forest just outside the village with her daughter. She's apprenticing under Brynn. Why, what do you need?"

Tarian played it cool, and with what he hoped was just passing curiosity in his voice asked, "Oh, I see. I just have need of a...simple tonic... How old is this daughter then?"

Lo had grinned, telling him, "Brynn's daughter is turning out to be as cute as her mother: I think she's about 21 years old, tall, strawberry blonde hair… a tomboy for sure, but she's got some striking features since she's half elf. She might be worth a pursuit, if not for the bear that follows her like a pet!"

Tarian was barely able to hold himself together as he thanked Lo for the information and left.

Earlier in the day, he had hidden outside Brynn's cottage, and was rewarded for his patience when he spotted a tall, young half-elf matching Lo's description leaving the cottage with a brown bear that followed her like a loyal dog.

Brynn stepped into view at the cottage door and said, "Gather what you want, Myne. I'm working on a new salve, and probably won't be able to join you for dinner with Sara and Uncle Faramir. I'll see you later tonight, okay? Love you!"

When she had turned, and closed the door behind her, he had come out from his hiding spot and quietly took the steps to her front door, opening it with practiced stealth. The memory of the cottage came back to him: the scent of drying herbs, the curtained room, and something new - a small loft with a ladder to access it had been added. And there was Brynn, older but still beautiful as she worked at her counter with a mortar and pestle. Her red hair was being held back with a scarf, and he could see a streak of grey running through it. Humans aged so fast...it was amazing that his lover of just 22 years ago was already more than halfway through her life; he was still considered young by elven years. He took another step forward, and she must have heard the floorboard creak under his feet because she turned quickly.

Wearing a wide playful smile, she shouted, "Myne, don't sneak up on me!"

She regarded him wide-eyed, bringing her hands up to her mouth as her smile gave way to shock and the color drained from her face. She let out a hoarse whisper, "Tarian?!"

He gave her a mischievous grin in response, and she took tentative steps towards him as if she regarded him as an apparition. Tarian watched as she carefully eyed every square inch of his form. He stood still, letting her take him in, waiting for some signal to speak or reach out for her. When she reached him, she wordlessly began pulling his shirt strings loose with shaking fingers, and pushed the shirt back from his left shoulder, revealing his chest and the faint scar from where the crossbow bolt had penetrated him. She softly touched the scar, whispering his name again, as if she had finally confirmed the true form of the apparition, and then held him tightly. He reached out to hold her with some tenacity, kissing the top of her head as she rested on his chest.

She began to cry in his arms as she said, "Tarian...you...I have something I have to tell you!"

Tarian tips back his pint glass, draining it completely and banging it down on the table. Yes, he was a father. And his daughter, Simbelmyne, was named after the flower that Brynn had used to save his life all those years ago. He grits his teeth as he tries to come to terms with the idea. He had only known for sure that he was a father for the span of a few hours; the idea was still too fresh and raw to feel natural, as if Brynn had shot him with an arrow to his heart. Brynn had admitted her love for him, and had cherished what they had together for that spring and summer. She said that she could never bring herself to have another lover, but she did not ask for him to renew his sentiments. It had been a long time, and they both knew that she would pass long before he would. What she had asked for was that he look after his daughter, and Brynn sheepishly admitted that she had never told anyone who Myne's father was, not even Myne knew. When Brynn had realized she was with child, and without a father, she knew it was useless to point a finger, especially when his name might bring trouble down upon his child. He had left Brynn's cottage with his head reeling from her words. Myne was to participate in the village's rite of passage the next morning, and Brynn wanted him to be there: to look after her, but also to get to know his daughter. _His_ daughter...she was his… unlike any possession he had ever claimed or hoped to claim, but she was his.

Tarian carefully stands and steadies himself with the table; he had been mired in his own world, and stumbles slightly as he makes his way to the bar, throwing down a couple coppers for another drink. He gives a companionable nod to a hooded figure drinking at the bar counter just to try to plant himself back in the present. He breathes in deeply and releases his breath in one big gust, gathering himself together once again. With a fresh beer in hand, he takes his seat, and attempts to focus on the conversations circulating around him. The crowd is in a good mood, and he catches idle conversation about farming and some local lore; nothing about Shieldheart.

When two half-orcs enter the inn, and make their way to the bar to flank the hooded figure Tarian had just acknowledged, he sharpens his senses in a way that nothing else had enabled him to do, _These two may be the half-orcs associated with Shieldheart: Turkûrz and Dalug-hai._

He notices that other patrons in the bar carefully turn their backs to the newcomers as if they could sense trouble. In the corner of the tavern, Lothar stiffens, but keeps playing as if nothing has changed. He tries his best to listen in on their conversation at the bar, but the voices do not carry over the noise, and Lo is left wondering what they are discussing. Tarian is able to hear the conversation, which involves the two half-orcs threatening the hooded figure about "poking his nose in business that doesn't concern him" and the merits of leaving the inn. When the hooded figure appears to try to make a stand, Tarian intervenes just before the argument descends into a bar fight. Tarian offers to help the stranger, who seems to be looking for information according to the half-orcs; letting him know that he makes it his business to find information. While the masked man declines the invitation, he does agree to leave for the night to not ruin the festival atmosphere. The two half-orcs follow him out after making a couple threats to Tarian as well. After the commotion dies down, Lo makes his way to Tarian to inquire about the conversation, and Tarian tells him what he can about the transaction.

When all the patrons had slowly dwindled from the bar, Tarian heads upstairs to his room with his thoughts drifting back to his old lover. He would be an elf of his words, and stand up in the ceremony tomorrow.

Whether or not he would tell Myne who he really was, he had yet to decide; he was still trying to convince himself that he was a father, _Am I even good enough to be a father?_

As he lays on his bed, he brings his goddess to the forefront of his mind - he had followed Calistria ever since he was younger. The Savored Sting, goddess of revenge, secrets, and spies. Yes, he would exact revenge on those that had destroyed his family. Sweet, long, drawn out revenge if he could manage it. Many elves followed Calistria, identifying with the goddess's moods, not necessarily for the revenge, but for the other part of the deity's portfolio: lust. Act on the thrill and passion of the moment, and until Brynn, he had not opened himself to the act... but _Gods!_ , of all the lovers that he could have a child with, he was glad that it was with Brynn.

He closes his eyes and offers up a small, informal prayer, _Calistria, my family and heirloom was taken from me. Let me have my revenge! And I thank you, for lust has allowed my line to continue._

Meanwhile, Lo manages to make come-hither eyes with one of the bar maids that he knew pretty well. Kimberly was on her own, and rented one of the Inn's rooms. He and Kim had had a couple nights together before, and without any kind of commitment she had always welcomed him into her bed when he needed it. It was quite convenient to have a warm bed without having to go back out into the cold after a long night of performing too.

With a couple of sweet words to her as she was wiping down the last of the bar glasses, she nods to him with a grin and says, "Lo, I was wondering if we were going to make a night of it before you go off to become a man!"

She gives him a wink, and then leads him upstairs to her room.


	3. The Eternal Light of Kassen: 7th of Neth

**7th of Neth:** **The Day of the Ceremony**

 _ **Setting Out**_

In the dim morning light, Sara eyes the meager preparations she had gathered for the day's ceremony. She shrugs at the small pile: a small coin purse, a crossbow with a quiver of bolts, and her journal which she would have to tuck into her belt until she received a pack from the town center. She straightens up and turns to finish pulling together breakfast for her father. She grabs a kettle off the stove and strolls over to the kitchen table, placing the pot next to a cup already filled with a serving of her father's favorite tea blend. Smiling at the breakfast of toast and goat cheese piled in front of her father's seat, Sara moves quickly through the house to check on the man.

Peeking her head into his bedroom, Sara smothers a smile, _Still sleeping, lazy oaf_.

Her eyes catch on the sight of a lute resting across a threadbare chair in the corner of the room. Blinking in surprise, she smiles at the realization that her father intended to practice while she was out performing the rites. Her father's music was a rarity in the years since her mother's death. Her mother, Rinna, had always teased that it was Faramir's music that had swayed her into falling in love with the elf.

 _Maybe he'll perform at the celebration that is supposed to come after our rite._

Sara grins into the darkened room and twists the small golden band around her right ring finger with her thumb; the band had been her mother's wedding ring, and now is Sara's most cherished possession after her mother's death years ago.

She hurries back to the kitchen and rustles through one of the cabinets in search of a jar of elderberry jam she had hidden months ago, exclaiming aloud at finding the jar, "Aha! Found you!"

Placing the last of her cherished jam next to her father's plate, Sara quickly slings on her gear and slips out the door. Instead of heading towards the center of town where those who would be participating in the ceremony were to gather at midday, Sara turns and makes her way towards the forest edge. As she emerges into the small clearing, a bear perks his head up from where he was napping near the front door of a small cottage. The bear runs up to Sara as she grins and kneels on the soft grass.

"Hello Rauros," Sara tells the bear, scratching him behind the ears. "Where is your favorite friend, hmm? Is she not prepared for her big day? I bet she's faaaaaast asleep, snoring away-"

"I do not snore!" huffs Myne as she walks out of the cottage and closes the door behind her.

Sara laughs, and looks over her younger cousin, ensuring the girl has remembered to bring everything she would need during the rite as Myne makes her way across the clearing. Pursing her lips, she looks up at Myne and asks, "You have your dagger?"

Myne rolls her eyes, but nods nonetheless.

Sara continues, "They'll supply us with water skins, rations, and various other gear; but I hope you brought some sort of coin?"

Another nod from Myne and an exasperated sigh as she says, "You know all I have is a couple coppers, and I'm no good with coin anyway." As she reaches her cousin, Myne flings her arms around the older girl.

Sara laughs and hugs her back.

"I remembered everything I need," Myne assures her cousin. Grinning wider, she continues, "Mom even bought me a journal, like the one you have! I've not the talent for sketching that you have, but I figured I could chronicle everything that happens!"

Sara laughs again, "Remember, this rite is only supposed to take a few days, and it's supposed to be a secret. What on Golarion are you going to be able to write about?"

"Also," Sara eyes Myne again, seemingly looking over every inch of her before reaching out and grasping Myne's chin, tilting the girl's head this way and that.

"Whaaat?!" Myne laughs at her, allowing Sara to manhandle her.

"Did you remember to meditate this morning?" Sara asks her with a serious expression.

Myne laughs loudly, breaking free from her cousin and heading towards the path.

She hears Sara huff; and then the sounds of footfalls as her cousin and Rauros fall into step behind her. Myne tries to stifle her laughter, but one look back at Sara and the miffed expression marring her pretty face has Myne dissolving back into giggles.

The trio is nearly back to the edge of town before Myne has finally controlled herself enough to respond, "Yes! Of course I did! We both rely on our spells for survival; I'm not going to forget to concentrate on what the forest tells me each morning! Just because your magic seems to come more naturally… hmph."

Sara sighs, blowing out a great huff before linking arms with Myne, "Don't you laugh at me, I don't know how your powers work. _Gods_!"

The two break into laughter again, and continue towards the center of town to meet with the others.

With the village center in sight, Myne suddenly stops her cousin, giving her a serious look as she says, "Look, before we reach the others...I know you might be thinking I'm not ready for this… mom said the same. She knows we age strangely, she tells me that we behave like humans a few years younger than us would...apparently our moms have discussed and observed our childhoods closely."

Myne grins and continues, "She tells me I act the way she did when she was sixteen...I think she was unwilling to tell me that she thinks I am too young...but I refuse to be left behind. I can do this… and I want to do this with you. You're like a sister to me… and I just needed to say that before we start."

Sara gives Myne a tight squeeze, grateful that she too had her cousin with her for their coming-of-age trials.

As the two half-elves approach the center of town, they find several familiar faces: Lothar and Alex, two of the other younger humans of the village, as well as two elves. Myne smiles at the ranger she met the night before, Roth, and offers the elf a wave. Sara regards the two elves; the ranger Myne had told her about on their trip over, but the other was unknown to her.

She pauses and takes a good look at the elf: tall, platinum blonde hair, somehow familiar, _Those emerald green eyes..._

She blinks and shrugs, shaking off the sense of deja vu. She raises an eyebrow at him, but gives him a nod of greeting.

Seeing Alex try to give a greeting, Myne quickly steers her cousin as far away from the others without being impolite, making sure to turn Sara's attention away from Alexander, _Last thing we need is for Sara's temper to flare before we've even started._

Other than the six of them, the center is curiously empty.

When the clock chimes the noon hour, they see a winding procession of townsfolk approach them. Leading the way is the town's elder, who holds an unlit lantern in his hand. Behind Elder Uptal is a horse-drawn cart containing six packs full of supplies. The elder welcomes the young group, and explains the tradition of the lighting ceremony, and the story of the fight between Kassen and Asar. He then explains the important symbolism behind allowing the youth of the village to light the lantern for the year.

He pauses at the end of this story to motion to the group and say, "Here stands four youths of Kassen, ready to enter adulthood: Saraneth Mithendian, age 25, daughter of Faramir and Rinna; Simbelmyne Elladan, age 21, daughter of Brynn; Alexander Shieldheart, age 20, son of Lord Zangold and Lady Krisonna; and Lothar Eisler, age 18, son of Ludwig and Carol. The village also welcomes strangers to participate, if they feel compelled to enjoy the challenge and camaraderie of the rites of the Eternal Flame of Kassen."

Here he nods to the two elves and says, "Strangers come and go, but those who choose to stay are no longer strangers. If it is your will to participate, step forward and speak your names and your family names."

The elf with the platinum blonde hair and green eyes steps forward and says, "My family is long since passed. I simply wish to be known as Tarian. I have been in Golarion for 150 years."

The elder gives Tarian a look, but nods, trying to understand the workings of elven families, and then looks to the other elf, waiting for his reply. The second elf, with ash blonde hair and grey eyes, steps forward and adjusts his stance, clearly uncomfortable making such an address.

In a soft voice he says, "Damerothlin Elldervil, son of Ambassador Arvendlir and Meduinis of Celahir Lossehelim. I have walked in the realm for 128 years."

The elder nods at Roth, and then says, "Strangers, we welcome you. And now, I need someone to come forward to be responsible for carrying the lantern."

Each member of the group looks about the six of them until Myne hesitantly says, "I would like to nominate Saraneth, being the oldest member of our group, begging the pardon of these two elf strangers."

Sara gives Myne a surprised glance before stepping forward to take the lantern, and Myne beams with pride for her cousin. The elder then instructs the group to each take a pack, which would have provisions for the trip.

As the group rummages through their supplies, the elder says, "Bring back the Eternal Light of Kassen so that it may glow throughout the dark and harsh winter. You are the youth of our village, but upon your return, you shall all be adults of the village of Kassen, free to choose your destinies and make your own lives. Farewell, and good luck."

With that, they start to walk slowly out of town in the direction of the path they would use to locate the crypt.

At the entrance to the path, Roth steps forward and says, "We should make a full assessment of our supplies before we head off blindly on the trail."

They nod at his suggestion, and stop for a quick discussion and strategy, making a careful inventory of their supplies. They each find a small piece of a map in their pack, which they hastily put together. It shows a winding path that leads southwest into a clearing called the Broken Glade. From the clearing, the path winds southeast to the Grav Lake. From there, it leads south into a ravine that runs east and west known as Serpent Gorge. The crypt entrance is in the other side of the ravine. They also have tents, rations, and provisions for the journey.

After setting their course with the map, they begin shouldering their packs, eager to head out.

Hesitantly, Myne speaks up from the rear of the group, "Umm, I know we are excited to get going, but there are unfamiliar faces among us, and we know next to nothing about each other, outside our formal names and the names of our parents! If we are to have the next four days ahead of us together…" she trails off, looking up at the sheepish faces of the others.

Smiling gently, she continues, "Some of you I know very well, others I do not know at all."

The group regards her carefully, and after a few moments of them standing and looking at each other awkwardly, Myne steps forward with Rauros to say, "Call me Myne, and this is Rauros my companion. Hopefully I can prove myself to the group through my skills in herbalism and my knowledge of the wild."

Roth smiles at her and says, "I too have skills in the wilds, and to walk side by side with a druid will be an honor. My martial skills rest in my training as a ranger, and the accuracy of my bow. Call me Roth."

Tarian pulls out a dagger from his belt, fingering it lovingly while he says, "You won't see me coming, but believe me, it will hurt. I am a rogue, and trader of secrets. You can call me Tarian."

Alex draws his sword with pride and says, "My life devoted to the honorable code of the Paladins of Iomedae. Call me Alex."

Sara lets out a scoff and rolls her eyes at Alex's introduction, and Myne sighs nervously at the open hostility that Sara would seemingly carry for their time together. Her act of disrespect was not lost on the paladin either, who deflates slightly at her scoff.

Lo grins and says, "My talent is in my music, I'll happily cheer you guys on from the back of the fight." He gives a wink and says, "Call me Lo."

Sara sighs and smooths her hair over one shoulder, calming her blood and magics while Lo introduces himself. Taking a deep breath, she manages to say, "My name is Sara, and hopefully you won't have to see what I am truly capable of."

Since the path is narrow they must walk single file, and Roth steps forward to lead the group. He knows his keen senses and path walking abilities as a ranger will come in handy at the front of their procession. Sara follows next, resolutely holding the lantern, and Myne diplomatically steps in behind her cousin to form a buffer between Sara and Alex, who bravely and obliviously steps in behind her. Lo follows next, content to not be near the front, and Tarian strategically places himself at the back of the line, keeping his eyes and ears open for anything that might surprise them from the rear.

For a while they follow Roth in silence, which is broken when Lo says, "I've heard many rumors and tales of what is in the crypt; that the dead come back to life. Silly right? I think I spend too much time at the Seven Silvers listening to the old men's tales."

Myne smiles and confidently says, "I have been in the crypt before to collect a rare variety of mushroom for my mother. True, the place is quite creepy, but there was nothing to fear inside. Just the dark dank inside of an old crypt."

Tarian grins, "I have heard rumors of the crypt being used for other nefarious purposes. Word gets around when it's your job to live in the shadows."

Sara pales further at each story, unusually disturbed by the thought of the undead haunting the secluded crypt.

 _ **Ephemeral Encounter Near a Fallen Tree**_

Other than the brief discussion about the crypt itself, the group's journey is quiet, and little is said until they reach a large fallen tree in the path. As they each decide how they will get around it, two huge orcs jump out from the brush, one holding a spear and the other holding an axe: they aren't looking for a negotiation. All members of the party nervously prepare for a fight, and their first attempts at damage are disheartening. Roth's arrows ricochet, Sara's crossbow bolts fail to find any purchase, and Alex's and Tarian's swords fail to connect. Unfortunately, their enemies make hard blows to both Tarian and Alex. Lo manages to confuse one of the orcs with a musical spell, and the tables slowly turn in the favor of the young party. Tarian takes too much damage from one of the orc's spears, and falls unconscious. Myne makes a hasty decision of how best to use her magic, and heals Tarian first. Her spell only stabilizes Tarian, and meanwhile Alex is still hurt from the encounter. Sara and Roth manage to hit their targets, and when Alex connects with his enemy, he finds his target strangely not solid. After a painfully drawn-out battle, the group emerges victorious, and the orcs vanish. Even more strange, their wounds heal immediately.

As Tarian quickly comes to, and sees that his wounds are healed, he eyes Myne with some level of awe and says, "The skills you have are far more than just herbalism… believe me I know. You are in possession of some greater power."

Roth nods at Tarian knowingly and with a level of reverence in his voice says, " _That_ , rogue, is the power of a druid. She calls upon the magic of the wilds, something I have only seen in one other before now. There are few magic wielders in this world, and you are now privy to have been healed by one."

Myne gives an embarrassed smile and drops her eyes to the ground at Roth's description, fidgeting with her hands and biting her lip. She had kept her magic to herself for the most part; only Sara knew. She had relied on Sara to help her learn how to control her powers, since Sara too possessed these rare magical abilities.

Roth continues, "And she is not the only one with that power. Something is strange about this village. I do not possess any magical abilities, but I feel something here, don't you all?"

Lo grins as he says, "I haven't ever told anyone, but since we're all having this little moment, you don't think I am able to just confuse, dazzle, and daze with just these good looks do you?"

Sara rolls her eyes at the bard and says, "If you want flamboyance, then you shall have it!"

She opens the palm of her hand, and creates a flame like a torch in her palm. She smiles as she watches the others widen their eyes in shock while Myne gives her cousin a knowing grin.

To herself Sara says, _At least I finally have a chance to release some pent up rage… and if they do see more, it won't be quite the shock._

Tarian crosses his arms at this seemingly impossible concentration of magic users, and says, "Let's not forget this fight either. It makes no sense that our enemies should just vanish and our wounds heal instantly. What a waste of energy!"

Tarian stops his grumbling as both he and Lo sniff the air, recognizing the scent of pipe weed. Tarian follows the scent to its source: the bartender from the Seven Silvers, at his ease behind a bush smoking his pipe. The bartender is taken off guard by Tarian's presence, but casually congratulates him and his party for defeating his orcs. It's clear that the townsfolk had set this up for the young party to stumble into. When Tarian returns to the group, he tries to have a little fun with Myne, whispering to her what he found and quietly laughing to himself about the fact that they were being set up by the villagers. Despite Myne's uneasiness about why this elf stranger would choose her to share this little joke, he persuades her to not tell the rest of the group for the fun of it. Roth also investigates and finds the bartender, but wants to make the group aware of what they were "up against." As Roth opens his mouth to say something, Tarian steers the conversation in another direction, persuading Roth to also keep it to himself for the sheer enjoyment of leaving half the party in ignorance. As the party sets out once again, it is with a little bit of hesitation of the unknown.

 ** _The First Encampment: The Broken Glade_**

Nightfall approaches, and they reach the clearing that must be the Broken Glade. It makes the perfect spot to set up camp, and as they make a fire and begin to set up camp, they hear howling in the woods nearby. Both Roth and Myne recognize the howl: a hungry wolf pack on the hunt, and they quickly help the group prepare to ward off wolves by placing a perimeter of fire and magicked light around the camp. The howling grows closer, and they see yellow eyes just outside the ring of light that is their encampment. They all draw their weapons and prepare to defend their camp.

Three wolves enter the clearing, and they see that the animals are starving and desperate. Lo expertly sends out a wolf call that confuses one of the wolves. It leaves the clearing in search of the sound, and only two remain to be dealt with. One wolf lunges towards Sara, but snaps its jaws on empty air near her robes. The other grabs hold of Myne's leg, knocks her down, and bites down hard. Rauros and Tarian both take down Myne's wolf. The wolf slathering over Sara is struck by Alex, but it's Lo once again that confuses the wolf into retreat.

Tarian looks over the lone wolf that they managed to bring down, and decides that there could be a meal made of the fresh meat.

He looks around the ragtag group and asks, "Any of you good with a fire? I could make a stew, but the taste might leave some of you wanting…"

Myne looks up at Tarian and smiles, nodding with her chin at her cousin. "Sara's a great cook! Mom and I always head to Uncle Faramir's for dinner when we can!" She sees the flash of annoyance darken Sara's gaze and frowns.

"Pleeeeeeease?" she pouts, tilting her head and leaning towards the older girl.

Tarian throws in some encouragement and compliments as well, and finally Sara huffs before heading towards the fire to get started.

"If someone else cleans the beast, I suppose I can make something of it."

Lo chuckles, and shakes his head, plucking a soft set of chords on his lute. He grins at Sara, "I remember when your parents used to own the inn. You must have always been in the inn's kitchen. Glad to know one of us can cook!"

Sara glances at the bard and gives him a noncommittal hum, gathering a cooking pot and what meager supplies they were given in their packs.

Roth moves across the camp to begin cleaning their kill. He offers a reserved smile, regarding the humans and half-elves in the clearing, "You all must have grown up together in Kassen, right?"

Alex, who had been removing and cleaning his gear near the fire, grins wryly before answering, "Sara, Lothar, and I played together as small children… at least when I could slip away to the village with my mother-"

"Hey!" Myne interrupts, "I was there, too!"

Lo and Alex both laugh, the bard chiming into the conversation, "Yes, let's not forget Sara's ever-constant shadow!"

Myne huffs at him, and Lo looks over and sees Sara hiding a grin from her cousin, shoulders shaking from contained laughter.

Lo continues where Alex had left off, "But then Sara moved to the outskirts of the village. We didn't see much of her after that…I think Alex and I were about seven or eight...Sara was maybe 14?"

Sara gives him a blank look before turning back to the fire as Roth brings her some of the wolf meat. Myne gives a shudder and a slight gag at the red lumps in his hands, and Sara gives her cousin an apologetic look as she adds the meat to the boiling water.

Myne gives her cousin a shrug and then begins to paw through her pack like a squirrel gathering nuts, "Don't worry Sara, I think I saw some rations in my pack!"

As Roth returns to the wolf to see if he could dry the remaining meat into something they could bring on their journey, Sara responds to the unspoken question Lo had posed by saying, "After my mother died, my father couldn't stand the sight of the inn. So, we moved, and I found no reason to continue playing children's games when I had to take over the housework for our home."

Alex pauses in his task and looks up to the redhead at the fire. He brings a hand to the back of his neck and rubs it in slight discomfort, saying, "I had forgotten your mother died around that time. My father didn't like to have people talk about it in front of me."

Sara scoffs harshly, slamming a lid on the pot she had been preparing and turning on Alex with fists balled white knuckled at her sides. Alex blinks at the girl, clearly confused at the sudden hostility in her actions as she sneers at him, "Oh, I'm sure he didn't!"

Seeing the questioning looks she was getting from the rest of the party, Sara deflates slightly, and turns her back to the rest of them while making a show of tending to the fire.

Alex stares bewildered at the her until Roth asks for someone to help him move the remains of the dead wolf to the edge of the encampment in the hopes of keeping other predators at bay. Lending a hand, the two make quick work of it.

Glancing between the hot-tempered sorceress and the paladin, Tarian blows out a breath, _What in Golarion happened there, I wonder? Poor Rinna, I never asked Brynn about her sister._

He turns to regard Myne, who was looking at her cousin's back with worry. He could tell she was trying to decide whether to go to the older girl, but she was obviously hesitant to escalate Sara's ire-or turn it to herself.

"Myne," he calls to the redhead, "Lo and Alex are both younger than you. Why would they not treat you the same?"

Myne looks at him, and he is once again hit with old memories as her heart shaped face turns to him and she blushes lightly, "Sara and I are aging differently."

She touches her pointed ears that stick out through tousled short hair and continues, "By human standards Sara is just their age, and I am probably two years younger than Lo."

Tarian regards his daughter with a measure of sympathy and thinks, _Gods, the girl had no father, and she is only half-human. She must have been alone much of the time if not for her cousin. I never would have left if I had known Brynn was with child._

Out loud he says with a slight crack in his voice, "There was no one your human age to play with?"

Myne turns her gaze to both Alex and Lo before regarding Tarian again, "The other kids were much younger than the rest of us, and I wanted to be near Sara, she's like a sister to me. So much to her annoyance when we were young, I was the toddling little kid that spoiled the older kids' fun!"

She laughs, and Tarian notices that Sara has relaxed enough to offer her cousin a smile as she says, "You got better. You were always so quiet when you came into town, and I hated that I was forced to watch after my baby cousin."

Sara laughs as Myne makes a face at her, "Little did I know how you'd come out of your shell once you were out of the town and into the wilds. You're almost tolerable now."

Myne laughs loudly, "Tolerable?!"

Lo laughs at the girls, "Yeah, Myne was never too far from the river unless she was gathering herbs for Brynn. If I was ever playing my lute in the forest, I knew she would be lurking nearby."

He tries to hide a wide grin behind his hands as Myne blushes and mumbles, "I love your music…"

Sara turns to Tarian and gives him a wink before grinning at her cousin, "Mmm, mostly tolerable. On your good days."

Sara ignores Myne's half-hearted mumbles of "... _tolerable_ …" that trail off into silence as the group settles down within the ring of their tents. Lo plays soft melodies as they continue to speak on topics with little importance. Lo inquires after Alex's training as a paladin at the temple of Iomedae; Tarian questions Myne what it was like growing up as the daughter of the village herbalist; Roth contributes very little information about himself but makes an effort to include himself in the conversation, and listens carefully to the Kassen natives to learn more about the village. Sara settles in front of the fire and draws out a small journal, settling in to sketch her companions while the stew cooked. If anyone ever asked, she simply would have blamed a lack of practice as to the reason Alex's caricature made him look much less charming than he actually was.

Catching her glances at him, Alex tries to smooth over whatever rift had formed between them earlier and offers the girl a smile. She returns it with a flat look before rolling her eyes and returning to making his nose slightly too big and certainly off center in her drawing. Myne notices her cousin's snub and frowns at her.

Looking at the flames silhouetting her cousin's form from behind, she laughs and says, "Sara, you look like some terror of a fire demon or something from this angle!"

Turning to look at the flames behind her, Sara grins wickedly and offers the group a bemused look. "Must be my fiery personality then!" she remarks as she puts away her journal, offering Myne a smirk.

Turning back to the pot of stew, Sara declares that the food should be quite finished. All but Myne have their fill of the warm meal; she instead fills up on dried fruit and cheese from her rations while receiving confused stares from the rest of the group.

Myne tries to mitigate the stares by sighing and saying, "Look, I don't eat meat, okay? It's just... I can't… another creature laying down its life to feed me or clothe me… I just can't... but far be it for me to deny others, or even Rauros for that matter, it is the way of things in nature."

The group seems to give her an understanding nod, and leaves her in peace. Afterwards, they set up shifts for watch, and the rest of the night passes uneventfully.


	4. The Eternal Light of Kassen: 8th of Neth

**8th of Neth: Lake Scenes & Deep Ravines**

 _ **The Man at the Lake**_

The group wakes early, silently packs their provisions, and heads out on the path south from the clearing. After the attack in the night, they are tired and anxious to reach the crypt before nightfall. With a steady pace lead by Roth, they reach Grav Lake by noon. As they approach the lake, they are met with a grim sight: a motionless body next to the shore. It is a cloaked man with tattoos on his forehead that look like eyes. Myne examines the body to determine the cause of death, and finds two puncture wounds in his neck that are the 'sure sign' of a serpent bite. Everyone quickly moves away from the water's edge until Roth gives an all clear. Tarian rifles through the man's clothing and finds a leather money bag with 87 gold coins inside. All but Lo refuse to share the money, and despite the warnings of various members of the group, the two men split the purse and instantly become the richest men in Kassen. Lo also recognizes the tattoos as being from the religious group that follows Gorum, the same god worshiped by the two half-orcs that murdered his parents. It gives Lo pause; he was no longer sure he felt sorry for the man, although those sympathies were not more than a slight pang anyway. As the party prepares to leave the body by the lake, Alex speaks up to insist upon properly honoring the dead man. Myne volunteers to lend a hand in constructing a pyre, and after a request from Myne, Lo plays the dead man a song to send him to the next life. They all fill their water skins that are purified by Myne, eat a hasty lunch, and head further south on the path.

 _ **A "Trip" Down the Ravine**_

The party reaches the long-anticipated ravine a couple of hours later. There is still plenty of daylight left, and as they look down the ravine, they can almost see their goal within reach. In anticipation, they each try to pick out a safe path down the treacherously steep decline. Roth, Tarian, and Lo traverse the first third of the hill, while Alex and Myne both stumble but catch themselves. Unfortunately Sara's foot finds a root hidden in the leaf mold that twists her ankle, and she topples forward when she cannot regain her balance. Her fall is horrible to watch as she tumbles and rolls to the bottom of the ravine where she lands in a jumbled heap. The party at the top of the ravine now feels a sense of urgency to make it to the bottom to aid Sara, who is conscious but in pain. The second part of the ravine is traversed by Roth and Tarian without incident, but Alex, Myne and Lo find bad footings that they recover from. The last third of the ravine is cake for Myne, Tarian, Alex, and Roth, but Lo is caught by a low-hanging branch that sends him the short distance to the bottom. He has one large scratch and some bruises, but suffers far less in comparison to Sara, who is wincing but trying to maintain her composure. Myne, Roth, Alex, and Lo combine their healing abilities to set the sprained ankle, and Myne spends her healing spells to bring Lo and Sara's health back.

During their "trip" down the ravine the weather has taken a turn for the worse. Cold rain begins to pelt them, and by the time each member is at the bottom of the ravine, the winds have picked up and the rain is a downpour. The group decides that despite the fact that there is so much of the day left, they must set up camp to allow the wounded members of the party to rest, and to allow Myne to regain her healing spells. Tarian and Roth volunteer to take turns at watch while the rest of the party takes shelter in the tents.

 _ **The Horrid Entrance to the Crypt**_

They rouse themselves from rest eight hours later, and it is nightfall. The wounded members of the party are well enough to move, although Sara is walking with a limp. They make their way to the entrance of the crypt, being guided by Roth and Tarian's keen elf eyes, and they are greeted with another grim scene: they see the corpses of three horses near the mouth of the crypt. They are all saddled, but their riders are nowhere to be seen. Underneath one of the corpses is a pile of unidentified bones. The party does not recognize any of the markings or livery on the horses, and the pile of bones is a mystery. Myne examines the horses and estimates that they have been dead for about two or three days. Tarian rifles through the saddles, but finds nothing of value. Strangely, the only objects among the horses are small pillows.

As they stand there inspecting the horses and quietly discussing among each other the situation, Alex feels an overwhelming presence of evil, and its source seems to be emanating from the pile of bones under the horses, and from the mouth of the crypt. He can almost see the evil pouring out of the crypt like some horrible gaping maw spewing filth, and his stomach fills with dread at its presence. He relays this sense to the party, and the thought of entering the cave in the middle of the night is more than they can bear. With the rain and wind still beating down on them, they decide to make camp at the mouth of the crypt to wait for dawn. They hope rather than believe that the situation will look better in the light of day.


	5. The Eternal Light of Kassen: 9th of Neth

**9th of Neth: The Crypt of Kassen**

 _ **The Dead Rise Up**_

When they wake hours later, the rays of the sun still have not penetrated the ravine. They examine the entrance to the crypt with care, and find a stylized rune of fire carved into the keystone of the arch. There is a long, dark tunnel leading into the crypt, and "discussion" breaks out between Tarian and Alex over who should go first through the archway. Sara decides to stay out of it and quietly packs her things while Myne sits on a fallen log preparing her spells for the day, carefully ignoring the argument but upset by the hostile atmosphere. Roth is impatient to get into the crypt, and annoyed with the bickering. He shoulders his pack and strides to the entrance of the cave, placing himself first in the tunnel. As Myne finishes preparing her spells, she sees Roth at the entrance and steps in behind him. Sara follows, and Tarian and Alex bring up the rear, falling into a grumbled silence in order to move on. Lo becomes fascinated with the rune of fire, and reaches into his memory of lore to place the symbol, but in his distracted state, he doesn't realize that the rest of the party has unknowingly left him behind.

As they approach the end of the dark tunnel, they are met with an open door, and Tarian volunteers to scout ahead. He hears a wailing voice that unnerves him, and tells the group about the sound. With the dead horses outside, they now understand that their owners are still inside, but whether or not they are friendly is yet to be determined. They enter a long chamber, and by the light filtering in from outside, they make out risen platforms on each side of the chamber. Tarian sneaks around the room, and finds two packs on the ground, and a pile of bones in the middle of the floor. He dumps out the contents and finds large pillows and blunted arrows. On the far wall to the left, he sees a faded painting, and the sound of wailing becomes clearer.

At the same moment that Tarian is exclaiming his findings to the group, the bones on the floor stir, rise up, and assemble themselves into the bodies of six skeletons. They each hold scimitars in their bony grips, and despite their lack of flesh, they are very much alive and dangerous. Alex becomes an easy target due to the fact that he has wandered to the middle of the room to investigate with Tarian. The first two immediately attack him, but with wild swings they miss Alex, while Tarian melds into the shadows. The sight of the animated undead and the immediate attack on the party terrifies Sara; her worst nightmares were being realized right before her eyes.

The two girls had not stepped too far into the room, and now Sara could do nothing but press herself against the wall in horror, and let out a scream to Lo when she realizes he's missing. By summoning all her courage, she nocks a bolt in her crossbow and lets it loose at one of the attacking skeletons. To her frustration, it ricochets harmlessly off the skeleton's shoulder. Myne and Alex pull their weapons, and find the same frustration when their dagger and sword glance off an attacking skeleton, but find themselves in danger as they are each attacked by a skeleton. To their fortune and luck, one of the skeletons that advances on the party trips over itself and crumbles as it hits the stone floor. One of the skeletons traverses the room and attacks Myne. Only five remain to be dealt with as Roth pulls off incredible acrobatics to get across the room to the blunted arrows; he knows his own will be useless against these foes after watching their effectiveness from his fellow party members. Lo meanwhile understands the significance of the keystone: it is the Everflame symbol, and the memories of the stories associated with Lord Kassen and his former friend turned enemy flowed through his mind. He hears Sara's scream, and his stomach sinks at the sound of terror in her voice. As he runs into the crypt, he immediately tries to confuse one of the skeletons, but it does not have any effect. He smacks his forehead with his palm as he realizes that it would be very difficult to confuse something that did not have a brain.

Sara summons her fiery powers and unleashes Elemental Rain on the skeleton attacking Myne and succeeds in lighting it on fire, while Myne desperately grabs a large bone from the floor to use as a weapon. It does little damage, but an enraged Rauros slashes through the same skeleton that Sara has lit into, and it crumbles to the floor. Meanwhile, Alex takes an amazing swing at a skeleton that has already wounded him, and decapitates it. Roth knocks an arm off one of the advancing skeletons (unfortunately not the one holding the scimitar), and Lo follows Myne's suit and finds a bone on the floor to swing, but also does little damage.

Tarian weaves in and out of combat landing a blow on a skeleton, while Sara gathers her courage to deliver a Shocking Grasp (which involves her actually touching a skeleton) but to her dismay it fails. Myne and Lo both swing and miss with their impromptu weapons, but Rauros once again savagely slashes at a skeleton, ripping it apart. Lo and Alex both take slashes from the skeletons' ruthless scimitars, and Roth takes aim with his blunted arrows, and cleanly knocks the head off another skeleton.

The remaining skeleton savagely rips into Alex, and Sara picks up a bone to follow suit with Myne and Lo, but all fail to connect with the skeleton. Tarian manages to land a blow with his sword, but it too seems to do little damage. Finally, Sara swings, and smashes the last skeleton to pieces.

 _ **Pitfalls and Pillows**_

The group takes a slight breather as Myne uses one of her spells to heal the damage done to Alex, and they make the hasty decision to keep going towards the sound of wailing coming from the left. Whoever was left in the crypt may be in dire peril considering what they just faced.

Despite the fact that the light from the entrance is the only light coming through the room on the left, the party can tell that the room is large, with many pillars throughout. They find more saddlebags, but these are empty. Alex tries to traverse the room by going around one of the pillars, and immediately falls into a pit. The group is worried for Alex's condition, but when Tarian peers into the pit, he sees Alex among a pile of pillows, stabbing at possible evils lurking among the feathers. Lo sends a burst of light to the right of a pillar, revealing a small alcove with a button in the middle. As Tarian moves further down the wall, he fails to see another pitfall, and also lands in a pile of pillows. With Myne's help, she pulls him out of the pit. They also see that there is a door next to the pit, but it is locked, and attempts by Tarian to disable the lock or to break down the door by a feather-covered Alex fail. Tarian decides to try to hit the switch, and given the pitfalls, the rest of the group huddles together as he hits the button. Nothing happens. They decide to search the rest of the room for other switches, trying to distribute those with better eyesight with those that cannot see anything in the dim light. Roth and Lo traverse the center of the room without incident and find another switch, while Myne and Sara stay near the wall and find the other. Alex and Tarian stay at the switch they found first. They shout to each other to coordinate hitting their switches together, and Tarian hears a click that sounds like a mechanism in the door has been released. The party rejoins at the door, and open it to reveal a hallway. Sara uses her powers to make the lantern glow with light so that they can see as they proceed into the gloom.

They are confused by their situation: between the pillows in the pitfalls and the immaterial orcs they fought on their first day out, they thought they were being had by the villagers. On the other hand the skeletons, dead horses, and the dead man by the lake seem too extreme to be part of the ceremony, and they had a creeping suspicion that something was going horribly wrong. With this hall open to them, the screaming is clearly coming from a door straight ahead of them, and there is another opening leading to their right. They feel a sense of urgency to aid the person screaming, and when they find the door locked, they try to announce their presence to the person inside. The screaming stops, and the person inside tells them to go away. Tarian picks the lock, and opens it slowly to peek inside, and nearly gets hit by a crossbow bolt that goes whizzing by his head. As they open the door wider, they find a man trying to reload another bolt. Lo plays a soothing tune on his lute, and the man holds his fire long enough for the party to explain the situation and to find out what was happening. He gives his name as Roldare, and explains that he is one of the villagers setting the traps for the young party. However, he got more than he bargained for as he is now facing horrible skeletons among other things. The rest of the villagers are still somewhere in the crypt as far as he knew, and may be facing similar perils. He is desperate for the party to find them, especially his sister. The other two villagers were Paul and Demeria. The group perceives that he is out of his mind with fear, but that he is telling the truth. He gives them the hint that they should take the shields when they come across them because they would need them later, and that was all. He refuses to give up his crossbow, nor does he want to leave the room until the rest of the villagers have been found.

 _ **A Beetle, Some Traps, a Healing Fountain, and a History Lesson**_

They now take the hallway that was to their right, and find that it leads to another door that opens when they try it. As they slowly take stock of their surroundings, they see a giant beetle in the middle of a large room slowly rolling some debris to a corner. Myne knows the creature as a Giant Bombardier Beetle, and that it is territorial. Due to its size, the group decides to try to sneak past it. Lo creates a diversion that sounds like the call of a female beetle coming from it's nest in the corner, and as the beetle investigates, the rest of the party sneaks past to the other side of the room where a set of descending stairs awaits. As they sneak across the room, all of them succeed in making it to the stairway, but as Myne makes her way across the room, she steps on a bone and makes a loud crunch noise that gets the beetle's attention. With a quick sprint, she makes it to the stairway with the others before the beetle can reach her, and they leave the beetle behind. Now they just hope that they do not have to go back the way they came when they leave.

In the large room at the bottom of the stairs, they see a statue of Kassen standing proud with an amulet around his neck. At his feet are two shields, each with a word engraved on it: Home and Family. Tarian reaches for the Family shield, but realizes its weight is too much, so he gives it to Roth, while Alex volunteers to shoulder the other. In the wall on the right is another doorway, which they carefully proceed through. They encounter a hallway with statues lining the entirety of it in alcoves. Each is holding a sword, and some of them have leather sheaths around them. They perceive that there is some kind of mechanical device present, but not how to set it off or disable it. Tarian tosses a pillow, and Sara tries prestidigitation on a pillow to try to set off the trap, but nothing happens. They decide that their best bet is to let Alex and Roth go first with the shields for protection. As they step forward, a tile decompresses, and the swords come down heavily on the party. Myne manages to dodge, but the rest are hit with the stone swords, and some take more of a hit than others. They all get up slowly, seeing stars as they shake off the blow to the head.

They are almost worried about what they will find in the next room; Myne only has one healing spell left for the day, and each member of the party has suffered to some extent. What they find in the next room is just what they needed. It contains a fountain with a statue of a weeping maiden and the body of Kassen, however the head was missing. After checking the water for its purity, Tarian takes a drink, and finds his wounds instantly healed. Seeing this happy turn of luck, the rest of the party drinks deeply from the fountain as well. Even Sara's sprained ankle is healed by the fountain, and the party feels revived by the turn of events. They also find a key, which Tarian pockets.

Myne had been keeping a hastily sketched map of the crypt, and was confident that the door on the right of the fountain room would lead back to the entrance, so when the group was ready to set off again, they decide to take the door set in the same side of the wall as the one they had come in from. The small room beyond contains two things: a simple bench and a mural. The mural portrays Kassen fighting the leader of the mercenaries that had descended upon the village. His name was Asar, and he also wore an amulet around his neck. Lo knew the story well: Kassen had befriended Asar in their days as soldiers, and when Kassen went out into the world to seek his fortune, he found one in the founding of the village and its prosperity through the years. Asar, in an act of jealousy, decided to attack the village to try to take the village's riches for his own. Kassen and the villagers managed to fend off the mercenary invasion, but Kassen suffered wounds that killed him days later.

After allowing the weight of the mural to sink in, the party continues through a long hallway to the entrance of a circular room. In the middle of the room is a large pillar with holes all around it at varying intervals. There is also a pit around the pillar with a single bridge to reach the pillar. Tarian tries to sneak into the room, and is hit with a blunt arrow. As Tarian backs into the hallway, the group decides to enter the room with the shield-bearers first, and the rest of the party forming a line behind them. As they enter the room, arrows shoot out from the pillars. The first volley of arrows are blunted, but the next volley are not. The sharp arrows find their marks in Alex and Tarian, and by the time the third volley is ready to fire, the group makes its way along the southern wall to a descending set of stairs.

 _ **Wading Through Treacherous Waters**_

At the bottom of the stairs they find another circular room with three passages leading off at equidistant directions from the one they came in from. Straight ahead of them, the passage is barricaded, and a dwarf comes leaping out from behind it. The party quickly explains that they are the young group that the trial was set for, and that they had met with Roldare on the upper floor. The dwarf is gruff, but believes them and introduces himself as Paul Guck. He explains the traps that he set (the blunted arrows for one, but he didn't quite get through setting all of those), and is unable to give them any other information about what was being set further in the crypt. When Paul asks about a key, he explains that it fits the lock in the fountain room, and that leads back to the entrance of the crypt. Tarian proffers the key, but only in exchange for something that the dwarf has. Paul offers a potion that heals moderate wounds, and the rogue accepts the exchange with a little encouragement from the group. Paul also agrees to get Roldare out of the room he has barricaded himself into, and the group also makes a point to let the dwarf know about the trigger finger that Roldare has.

From there, the group must decide to go east or west. To the west, there is a rotten stench in the air that unnerves them, and to the east, they can see that it descends, and there is the drip drip of water. They decide to take their chances with the water, and as they descend, they find themselves walking in standing water up to their ankles. They come to a doorway, and what they hear coming from behind it is the croaking of frogs. Sara boldly pushes the door open before much discussion can break out, and they find an empty passage with a T intersection. They notice that the water is now close to their knees as they choose a direction. The croaking seems to be coming from the left, so they decide to try the right passage first. What they find is a beautiful sight: as they stand outside the doorway of a room, they see that the walls of the room are covered in a lichen that is giving off a bioluminescent blue glow. It's tendrils hang down from the walls like curtains, and in some places hanging low enough to touch the water. As their eyes scan to the water, they see that there are many dead creatures in the water: rats and frogs mostly. Myne identifies the lichen as Azure Fungus, and that it lets out an electric shock to stun and kill its prey. As the party takes this information in, they are keenly aware that they are standing knee-deep in water, and despite some discussion to try to traverse the room to the other side where a doorway is visible, the team decides to try the other way first, rather than risk electrocution.

As they get closer and closer to the other room, the croaking becomes louder, and as they peer into it, Roth immediately recognizes a Giant Frog sitting in the center of the room. He knows they have sticky tongues, but that the party should be able to kill it if they need to. As the group prepares for battle, two more frogs rise up from the waters and surround the party. Alex is ready for anything with his sword already drawn, and lands a hit on the first frog while Tarian stumbles over a tile and falls into the water. One of the frogs that sprang from the water tries to catch Alex with its tongue, but Alex is too quick. Sara unleashes her crossbow at the same frog that Alex hit, and she hits it square between the eyes. It falls over dead, and only two frogs remain. Lo casts flare to dazzle one of the frogs, but does not succeed, while the other frog that had emerged from the water bites Sara. Myne stabs the frog that bit Sara with her dagger, and Roth looses an arrow at the same frog. Both hit their target, but the frog is still alive. Alex swings his sword and hits the frog attacking him, while Tarian sneak-attacks the same frog and hits. The frog again misses his target as Alex ducks quickly to miss a bite. Sara reaches out, touches the frog attacking her, and unleashes Elemental Ray, shocking the frog and killing it. Only the frog attacking Alex remains, and Lo dazzles it. Myne stabs but misses, but Roth connects with another arrow from his bow. Finally, Alex gives another valiant swing of his sword, and kills the final frog. It sprays Alex with a mixture of blood and slime that compliment his stray feathers well.

The team revels in their triumph, especially since they took so little damage, and they wade to the other end of the room where they find a doorway to the right, and against the far wall there is a raised platform just above the water level with a cloaked man in black lying motionless upon it. He is wearing a black iron mask, and has a bag next to him, and he is dead. Tarian opens the bag, and finds a money pouch with 24 gold, but before he can pocket the gold, Alex knocks it out of his hands and the coins glimmer as they splash into the water. There is also a letter that has been badly damaged. They cannot make out anything on the letter, but the wax seal is intact, and they see that it has the shape of two swords crossed. Roth recognizes it as the symbol of Isidor, the continent that they had just gotten out of war with. They decide to remove the iron mask, and see that he has the same eye tattoos as the man by the lake. Tarian decides to pocket the mask as a just-in-case measure. They also notice that he is wearing a ring on his right hand, and Sara determines that it is a magical Ring of Swimming.

The party leaves the body on the platform, and makes their way down the corridor. On their right, they pass the room with the Azure Fungus, and they are happy that they did not try their luck to traverse the room. Further down the corridor, they find it opening into another room. On the other side of the room is a stone wheel jutting out from the wall. Tarian starts to walk to the other side, and then loses his footing as he realizes that the center of the room is deeper, and he has to swim to keep his head above water. He makes his way to the other side, and examines the wheel, but cannot make anything about it. Roth swims over to also examine it, and understands the mechanics of the wheel. With Roth and Tarian both applying their strength clockwise to the wheel, it turns, and a doorway is drawn open on the wall to the right. The water rushes through it, allowing the party to walk along the outer edges of the room and through the doorway.

In the next room, the water rushes to a pit in the middle, and by the light of Sara's lantern, they see that there is a large double-door to the left and another smaller door ahead of them. After some discussion, they decide to take the double-door first out of a feeling of urgency to find Demeria. As they open the doors and step into the room, they have enough time to take in the sight: a large open room with a broad set of stairs leading down into it. On either side are a series of pillars with openings to rooms on both sides. At the back of the room is a sarcophagus, and the motionless body of a young woman lying next to it. There is also a magnificent chandelier suspended from the ceiling. Alex feels the room pulsing with evil powers, and a booming voice from the room says, "Who dares step foot within my Crypt?" Lo tries to explain the party's intentions: that they are from Kassen, and here to relight the lantern. The voice returns with, "So, you have come to fight me again!" and a tall skeletal figure in gleaming armor and carrying a deadly scimitar steps out of the shadows. Behind them, the double-doors close and lock tight to prevent their escape.

 _ **Kassen Fights Asar Again**_

There is little guesswork involved when the figure appears before the group as they stand at the top of the stairs. They know it is Asar, the friend-turned-enemy of Kassen, risen from the dead. There was also a noticeable absence of the amulet around his neck featured in the murals. Asar does not want to banter any further, he wants to destroy the party from Kassen.

Despite the undead figure before her, Sara summons her courage and calls upon her powers to use Elemental Ray on Asar. Asar in turn slams his sword on the ground, and 4 skeletons rise up to fight for him. Lo looks for any improvised weapon but finds none, and he uses Flare on one of the skeletons and dazzles him. Another skeleton leaps onto the stairs and brings down its scimitar on Lo. Knowing Sara's abilities, Tarian grabs the lamp oil out of his pack and throws it at the feet of Asar, and hops off the side of the stairs. Roth aims a blunted arrow at Asar and lands a blow on his shoulder, while Alex casts Smite Evil, but it ricochets off Asar's armor. One of the skeletons attacks Alex, but misses. Myne also digs through her pack for an improvised weapon and pulls out an unlit torch. She uses it on the dazzled skeleton and breaks him apart. Another of the skeletons leaps onto the stairs and attacks Roth, but misses. Only three skeletons and Asar remain.

Sara uses Elemental Ray again, and not only hits Asar but also lights the lamp oil on fire. With Alex as an easy target before him, Asar lands a blow on him that takes away half his remaining health. Seeing the effectiveness of Flare, Lo dazzles the skeleton attacking him while Tarian sprints to the woman, and immediately sees that the sarcophagus lid is ajar. When he looks into it, he finds the skeletal remains of Kassen, with the broken lines of a chain around his neck: the amulet that he was wearing is also gone. Tarian also sees a large, magnificent sword that he removes. Roth fires and Alex swings his sword, and both miss Asar. Seeing Alex's state, Myne uses her last healing spell on him to bring him back up in health. Three skeletons and Asar remain.

Sara strides down the stairs to flank Asar with Alex and delivers a devastating Shocking Grasp to Asar, while Asar's stab at Alex misses. Lo is still unable to find a weapon to attack with, but he does dazzle the skeleton attacking him again. Meanwhile, Tarian is feverishly searching the sarcophagus for the amulet, but it is gone. He checks the woman, who is unconscious. He revives her with a light potion, and she is confused and disoriented, but she does tell him that she is Demeria, and she remembers being in the crypt setting traps, and then everything went black. When Tarian presses her about the amulet, she does not know what he is talking about. Meanwhile the skeleton attacking Alex misses so wildly that it hits Asar. Asar turns to his minion and slams it into the ground with one punch. When Roth fires an arrow at Asar, he accidentally hits Alex in the back of the head, but Alex lands a blow on Asar with his sword. Myne swings her torch at the skeleton attacking Lo, but misses. Two skeletons and Asar remain.

Sara delivers another Shocking Grasp to Asar, while Asar deals another devastating blow to Alex. Lo follows suit with Myne and pulls his unlit torch out of his pack, but misses the skeleton attacking him. It in turn takes a swipe at Lo. Tarian leaves Demeria at the sarcophagus to rejoin the battle, carrying the sword with him. It is a weapon he is unfamiliar with, and when he tries to attack the skeleton on Lo, he misses. Roth fires another arrow at Asar that misses, but Alex delivers another blow to Asar. Myne swings and hits the skeleton on Lo, and the skeleton on Roth also lands a blow, despite Roth's luck and abilities to dodge it thus far. Two skeletons and Asar remain.

Sara, Asar, Lo, and the skeleton attacking Lo all miss their targets. Tarian realizes that the sword of Kassen may be something that Alex can wield, so he joins Alex and Sara attacking Asar. However, as he gets close to Asar, he decides to try to pickpocket Asar to find the amulet, rather than give the sword to Alex. Asar sees him, and smashes his fist down on Tarian, which knocks him unconscious. Roth fires and misses, while Alex picks up the sword from the prone figure of Tarian but is unable to land a blow on Asar. Myne also misses with her torch. Two skeletons and Asar remain.

Sara uses Elemental Ray and hits Asar, and Asar in turn delivers another blow to Alex. Lo misses, and Tarian begins bleeding out. Roth misses, and Alex takes a potion to regain some of his health. Myne uses a spell to stabilize Tarian. The party is feeling the desperation of their fight as Asar relentlessly takes and gives out blows. One of their party is unable to fight, and the two skeletons are becoming nuisances to Lo and Roth. Two skeletons and Asar remain.

Sara misses with Elemental Ray, and they all breathe a sigh of relief when Asar misses Alex. Lo becomes frustrated and enraged and tries to charge at Asar with his torch, and the skeleton on him gets a hit off before he joins Alex and Sara next to Asar. Unfortunately his swing misses Asar. The skeleton that was on Lo now turns on Myne, but misses. Roth and Alex miss Asar, but Myne lands a blow on the skeleton attacking her and it crumples at her feet. The skeleton attacking Roth also lands a blow on him. One skeleton and Asar remain.

The party is desperate and exhausted. Most are suffering from severe wounds, and they could tip to unconsciousness with another hard blow from their enemies. All of the remaining fighters miss their targets, including Myne, who tries to attack the skeleton that has been pestering Roth since the beginning of the fight.

Sara uses Elemental Ray again and lands a hit on Asar, while Asar also hits Alex. All but Myne miss, and she smacks the skeleton with her torch, but it does not crumple. All fighters miss again, including Sara who has expended all her magic and tries her crossbow on Asar.

Sara grabs Alex's short sword, swings it inexpertly, and misses. Asar lands another blow on Alex that brings him to his knees. Lo valiantly swings with his torch and misses. From on top of the stairs, with a skeleton still plaguing him, Roth sees the desperation of the party. He focuses his mind, breathes deeply, and lets loose another blunted arrow. It finds its target, and hits Asar square in the temple. A crack forms from Asar's temple, expands, and then extends down his body. A shudder goes through him, and then he crumbles to the ground. The skeleton that was plaguing Roth also crumbles when his master does, and the doors at the top of the stairs open again.

Despite their exhaustion, the party searches the two adjoining rooms. In the room on the left, they find it empty, but in the room on the right, they find another dead masked and cloaked man. Lo had heard that Kassen had made a lot of money, and that the equipment he wore was powerful. It was possible that these men were here to raid the tomb and take the treasures. Roth sees that the man was strangled to death, and they also take note that he too bears the tattoos on his forehead. Sara finds a coin purse, a wand, a spellbook and a note. The note is a map to the tomb and a little bit of writing that says, _the artifact is in Kassen's tomb_. When Sara opens the coin purse, they all gasp as they find 354 gold pieces inside. Myne gives her cousin a glance and walks out of the room. Sara throws the gold pouch to Roth for safekeeping, and takes the wand and spellbook, which will be of value to her and her abilities.

As they enter the main room again, a blue flame above the sarcophagus appears, and as Sara approaches with the lantern, the flame swoops down and lights it. The ghostly form of an elderly man appears from the sarcophagus, and the group recognize him as Kassen. Kassen waves his hand and restores the party to full health, and brings Tarian back from unconsciousness. He thanks the party for putting an end to Asar, who had become a mercenary captain filled with jealousy, and intent on plundering and raiding Kassen for its wealth. He goes on to say that his amulet was stolen, and that his is just one of three parts. Asar wore a piece, and so did a third person: an elven sorceress named Eremine. Together, the three pieces unlock a great treasure hidden away that Kassen felt no one person should have; the wealth was too much. The party knew that the thieves that took Kassen's amulet also had Asar's, and so only Eremine's remained. When they ask Kassen about her, he says that the last he knew of her, she was heading south to the nation of Reynes. Kassen assures the party that when they went to leave the crypt, they would find it empty of all that would hamper their path. Before the figure of Kassen fades away, he gives each member a silver scale that he said would be a boon in great need, and wished the party good luck as he vanished.

The group and Demeria make it out of the crypt without incident, and as they step out into the late afternoon sun, they see Paul and Roldare anxiously awaiting their appearance. Roldare is happy to see his sister safe. The group felt worried about the thieves that would invade Kassen's tomb, and what evils would have to be present to stir up the dead, but they were also uplifted that they had made it out of the crypt with their lives, and they felt stronger for it.

 _ **Leaving the Crypt of Kassen Behind**_

As the group begins to mingle and talk outside the crypt, and Paul, Roldare, and Demeria try to pull their remaining resources off their dead horses, Myne and Roth realize that one of their party is missing: Tarian is nowhere to be seen. Their keen eyes survey the area, and they see Tarian emerge from the crypt sometime afterwards, trying to stealth his way out so that no one notices the delay in his arrival. The group immediately presses him about his absence, and he explains that he had stayed behind to check out the tombs. Lo senses that he is not being entirely truthful, and presses him further. Tarian comes clean, and presents the group with a rag that is soaked with a strange black substance that almost looks like blood. The group asks him about it, and he says that he found it oozing from the ceiling wall above the sarcophagus. He quickly tells the group not to touch it as they examine it (the reason for his extended absence was not only the time to climb the wall and collect the substance, but also that his examination of the fluid included tasting it, which paralyzed him for a few moments, and made him fall off the wall he had been grappling in order to reach the substance). Alex detects evil from the substance, but past that, they cannot determine much else about it. They know they have to seek out someone else that may have some answers for them, hopefully in Kassen, and Tarian carefully packs the rag away.

With the grey skies overhead, the group decides to head for home. Their party is now nine strong: the six of them and the three villagers. They make their way back up the ravine without incident, and quietly follow the path until they find a familiar sight: the large clearing and the lake. The sight stirs memories of the body they found and burned, but Roth notices something out of place: one set of tracks that did not belong to their party leading west into the forest from the lake. Roth is sure that these were not present when they reached the lake the morning before. Myne knows that in that direction, there is no village or town for hundreds of miles, and with the forest being as dense as it is, it would not be a route to follow for a long stretch of time. The group is now worried that rather than continuing in that direction, the owner of those tracks may be hiding in the forest. With night coming on, and with the majority of their spells spent from the day in the crypt, they feel uneasy about traipsing through the dense forest in pursuit of potential trouble, so they decide to make camp for the night. Roth and Tarian both make a perimeter check around the clearing and find nothing out of place while the rest of the group sets up camp and makes a decent meal out of their rations. Roth, Tarian, and Myne take turns at watch, but the night passes uneventfully.


	6. The Eternal Light of Kassen:10th of Neth

**10th of Neth: Tracks in the Woods & The Eternal Flame Celebration**

 _ **Tracks in the Woods**_

As the group slowly stirs from their bedrolls they feel the chill from the air outside. A light powdering of snow sits on the ground, and they slowly take down camp. As they pack away their things, they discuss a plan of attack. They feel the need to find the owner of the tracks, even if they may prove hostile, and as long as they do not chase after the tracks for too long, they should still be able to make it back to Kassen before nightfall. At the same time, the villagers that were accompanying them decide to continue on the trail to Kassen.

Roth leads the way into the woods, following the tracks west for about 20 minutes. Then, he sees two more sets that join the first, and these two sets were made by much heavier feet. They continue to follow the tracks, but with more caution because they now fear to find as many as three people all at once. Thirty minutes after they saw the new tracks, they find signs of a struggle: there is trampled earth, snapped vegetation, and blood spattered everywhere. From here, the heavier tracks head north, and the lighter tracks head northwest, along with the blood. The decide to follow the bloodied set of tracks, since this person may be wounded, and if they are a foe, they will be severely hampered at the least. Lo lets out the ghost sound of a falling tree to see if it scares the person out of hiding, but all it does is stir up some local birds. They follow the blood into a patch of flattened vegetation and find the bloodied body of a young woman with light brown hair, wearing survival gear, a crossbow, and short sword. She is clearly able to trek through many types of terrain, and Lo is not able to determine anything about her from what she is wearing. Tarian begins to rifle through her pack, but Myne pushes him out of the way to check the body for any signs of life first. She is dead, and has only been dead for about a day. Myne can see that she has died from stab wounds in her back: it seems she was ambushed by the makers of the other two tracks. As they go through her pack, they find rations, signs that she has been traveling, and a book, which turns out to be a diary of dates and notes.

 _29th of Rova_

 _Cygar and I have parted ways. We will meet back in Luna once the information we have been assigned to retrieve has been found._

 _7th of Lamashan_

 _I have stumbled upon several members of the order while in the town of Baku along the Northern border of Kish. They may just lead me to the information I need. For the time being I will lay low and trail them for as long as I can._

 _15th of Lamashan_

 _The group has traveled into Ani. From what I have gathered these members of the order are only servants. Despite their low status I must stay cautious as I continue my pursuit._

 _23rd of Lamashan_

 _The group has started to split seem to be searching for something. What their intent is I do not know. Unable to track them all I now follow a group of four._

 _27th of Lamashan_

 _My luck had run out earlier today. While tracking I wandered too close to my targets and was spotted. Three took off in haste, while one remained behind and engaged me in combat. I greatly underestimated the skill of these servants of the order. That battle was a long one, but I managed to fell my foe. A higher power must have granted me luck this day, if I had face more than one of these men… I do not care to think about that… I must pick up the trail of the other three._

 _2nd of Neth_

 _These servants of the order are taking no chances now it seems. Knowing they could be followed they are leaving little in terms of a trail. I will not give up hope just yet though._

 _7th of Neth_

 _Fate has lead me back to Cygar in a small town north of the lake. This place of Kassen is in a festive mood, I wish I could stay. Cygar has concerns for a group of young folk who have departed towards the crypt recently. He has instructed me to go after them and to determine the fate of the members I lost.. When this task is over I shall look forward to returning here to see Cygar again._

Most significant is the fact that she was supposed to meet a person named Cygar in Luna, which Lo knows is a city far to the south, known for being a very religious and spiritual country. She has also met with Cygar just a couple days ago in Kassen. She and he were assigned to trail 'members of the order,' and that lead her to Kassen just as the group set out for the crypt.

The group decides to bring her body back to Kassen with them, and hopefully find Cygar. He seems to be the person that will have the answers they are looking for, and they can give the news of his lost comrade. She is carefully loaded on Rauros' back, and Sara packs the journal into her bag. They decide to continue to follow the other tracks, but carefully so as not to be taken unawares as the young woman was. Then, the tracks split, with one going northwest, and the other going northeast. They decide to head northwest, but not long after following that track, Roth comes to a point where he can no longer tell where the tracks are. Whoever was making their tracks is now covering their trail, and the group can do no more after a thorough attempt to pick up the trail again. They decide to head towards the glade where they stopped on their first night out. They know it must be close, and with some bushwhacking, they make it to the glade in time for lunch. They do not encounter anything new here, and after another thorough search for any tracks, they come up empty-handed. They eat a hasty lunch since they know that they can make it back to the village by nightfall if they keep a good pace, and they are anxious to be home.

 _ **The Triumphant Return**_

As they follow the path through the grey light of the afternoon, the powder melts, and the sun starts to set. Tarian makes the suggestion to stop at Myne's mother's house first since she lives more in the forest than in the village, and they can leave the body of the woman with her while they go into town to try to get some answers. It's not long before they start to hear the sounds of celebration, and smell the delicious aroma of roasting meats and freshly baked bread. Kassen is in full revelry, and despite the group's anxiousness for answers, there is also the overwhelming anticipation of food, drink, dancing, and laughing: all for them.

They reach the herbalist's cottage, but find that she's not at home (everyone is in town for the celebration), so they make the decision to leave a note explaining the body that they place on the table that Brynn uses when treating her patients.

They follow the road leading into town, and a roar erupts from the crowd as they see the approaching group with Sara boldly holding forth the glowing lantern: Kassen's young have returned triumphant. They can't help but glow like the lantern as they walk to the center of the village; they receive pats on the back, handshakes, and other congratulations from the villagers that leave them grinning from ear to ear. Bonfires blaze and keep the chill of the November night at bay, and there are impromptu food and drink tables strewn through the village. At the center of the village stands a tall pole, and below it stands Elder Uptal. He calls for quiet, and asks the group to bring forth the Beacon of Light that would symbolically sustain the village of Kassen though the winter. Sara steps forward, holding out the lantern, and Elder Uptal asks one other of the group to help Sara hoist the lantern up the pole. Alex respectfully steps forward, and the two of them both lift the lantern to the top of the pole.

Several villagers then emerge from the crowd to adorn the group with wreaths for their heads, and Elder Uptal gives a call of "Cheers to the heroes of Kassen!"

The village erupts once more into cheers, claps, and shouts: it was time to celebrate their new adults.

 _ **Roth, Myne, & Sara: Family and Friends**_

Alex and Sara return to the rest of the group after stepping away from the light pole, seeming to have come to some small truce for the celebration. The group smiles at each other tentatively for their achievements, but were still conscious of all that had gone wrong. They were receiving cheers and congratulations from the villagers around them, and each was contemplating how they wanted to spend their time during this celebration.

Alex cranes his head, hoping to see his father in the crowd, and mumbles out loud, "...father should be here, he's the lord…"

Alex turns back to the rest of the group and says, "I need to find my father. He should be here for this, and I need to speak with him about what we found in the crypt. Enjoy the evening."

He wades into the crowd, heading off towards a large crowd of people in hopes of finding his father.

Myne and Sara look at each other with smiles, and give themselves the pleasure of a long embrace to congratulate the other on all that they had done together.

Sara pats Myne on the back and says, "Let's find father and Aunt Brynn, yeah?"

Roth had been standing nearby, smiling and nodding awkwardly at the crowd of strangers when he overhears the girls' conversation.

He admits to himself his comfort level around the druid, and not wanting to have to mingle alone, he bends close to Myne to be heard above the crowd and says, "Look, I have no family or friends in this village… do you mind if I join you and Sara?"

Myne smiles and nods at the ranger's request, and when Sara hears Roth's request, she too smiles and says, "Yes please, join us! My father is one of the few elves in the village, and I'm sure he will want to hear any news about his homeland."

As they make their way through the crowd, they find Brynn and Faramir standing together and talking to each other. After they each have a chance to congratulate their daughters, Myne introduces Roth to them both, and he silently nods them a greeting. Sara, Myne, and Roth know that with the crowds roaring nearby, there is little chance of being overheard, so they quickly tell Brynn and Faramir that something went wrong in the crypt (without going into detail), and that on their way back they found the poor young woman, and that her body was now at Brynn's cottage. They relay to Brynn and Faramir that they are anxious about any news of strangers in town, possibly with the name of Cygar. Brynn has heard nothing, but Faramir, being the previous owner of the Inn, is aware that there is a young man with a scar on his face that has been staying at the Inn for the past several days.

With that news, Roth says, "We need to get to the tavern. In this crowd we may go unnoticed."

Myne nods in agreement and lets out a sigh as she says, "Yes, but along the way, I… would like to try beer! It will be my first one, and as an official adult, I feel like I'm entitled to that much."

She looks around as they begin to push through the crowd, and with all the revelers around, she is able to quickly procure a pint from a passing halfling who heartily gives her a slap of encouragement on the back as she tips back the mug.

She smacks her lips and says, "Not bad!"

Sara knew she needed to keep an eye on her cousin, and after Myne had her first beer, Sara conjures water that tastes like beer to refill the mug as they made their way through the village.

 _ **Lo & Tarian: A Gift and a Hasty Story**_

For two of the richest men in Kassen, the night is young. They wander through the crowd, taking any proffered ale and food, but together they make the smart move to not pull out their gold in front of the crowds. Lo gets tired of their wandering and decides to sit by a tree with his mug of ale and play his lute. He has an eager crowd that wants to hear about his adventures as one of Kassen's heroes, and Tarian has the opportunity to lurk in the crowds to try to pick up any information the villagers may be talking about: they may mention Cygar.

As Lo is playing, a young priest in simple brown robes approaches him with a smile, "Lothar, I don't know if you know me, but I am Father Prast. I took over the temple from Father Mentaus last summer...your parents were devout patrons."

Father Prast holds out his hand to Lo, who takes his hand in a warm handshake. The priest continues, "My congratulations to you and the other new adults of Kassen! You have performed the rites admirably!"

He shifts his weight back and forth, looking around furtively before continuing, "Lo, can I have a private word?"

Lo gives the priest a sidelong look before allowing himself to be escorted a short distance away from the crowd. After the death of his parents, religion and politics were two subjects that the bard had tried to avoid at all cost, but he would never show disrespect to the new father either.

He nods and gives a genial smile, "Sure, Father. What can I do for you?"

Father Prast leans closer to not be overheard and says, "I did not know your parents, but Father Mentaus did. From his description of them, and of their love for you, I know they would have been proud of you if they were here."

The young priest gives another look around him, seemingly fearful of anyone watching him as he stammers, "F-Father Mentaus left something in my care that your mother would have wanted you to have when you reached adulthood."

From the recesses of his robes, Father Prast produces a small leather pouch that he hastily pushes into Lo's hands. As Lo takes the pouch and opens it, he finds a beautiful translucent crystal shard that is slightly longer than his outstretched hand and about as thick as his wrist. He watches it sparkle when it catches the light from the bonfires, and Father Prast carefully stands in front of the bard to block the view of the crystal.

The father continues, "It was an object that your mother found...Father Mentaus remembers you playing with it as a child."

Lo bows his head to the priest, still admiring the crystal as he says, "Thank you, Father."

Father Prast gives another furtive look around before saying, "Well, I have other duties...I will leave you for the evening. Again, my congratulations."

Nearby, Tarian had been trying to listen in. The priest's strange body language told the rogue that whatever he had to say to Lo might be worth knowing. Unfortunately, Tarian doesn't hear any of this conversation because of the noises of the celebration, but he does see the beautiful crystal as Lo is admiring it, and makes a note of it in his journal, watching as Lo carefully places the crystal back in the pouch and pockets it. He then returns to playing his lute for the crowd as if nothing had transpired.

As Tarian turns his attentions to the crowd once again (taking swigs of beer occasionally), he begins hearing whispers and murmurs about skeletons and reawoken bodies in Kassen's crypt, no doubt circulated by Roldare, Paul, and Demeria. Tarian knows that the rumors must be quelled or the young group would draw a lot of unwanted attention, so he quickly makes his way to Lo and tells him of the circulating rumors. Lo decides that since he already has a captive audience, he would sing a song of their adventures in the crypt: of how Alex valiantly charged at locked doors and stabbed pillows, how Sara lit the lantern, and how Lo himself rescued a couple princesses, dodged traps, caught arrows mid-flight, and sent a giant meteorite to the earth in a shatter…. but definitely no skeletons were involved. His song was jovial, over the top, and epic, and the crowd ate it up.

 _ **Roth, Myne, and Sara: A Drunk Lord Blackheart & Some Hints from the Innkeeper**_

As Roth, Myne, and Sara approach the entrance to the Inn, the doors burst open and out stumbles Lord Blackheart himself. He is worse for drink, but it did not make him any less intimidating. He is wearing the clothing of a noble, but with his broadsword at his side coupled with his huge shoulders and square jaw covered with a black trimmed beard, he was a sight that made most of the villagers cower. He blearily peers ahead of him, and sees the two half-elves and elf approaching.

"Ah, if it isn't the newly-crowned _Heroes of Kassen!_ " he mocks at them.

Then his eyes alight on Myne with a sneer, "Filthy half-breeds, you should feel lucky that you were even allowed to participate in the ceremony."

His sneer becomes something darker as he eyes Saraneth, grinning cruelly at the girl, "If only your pretty little mother was still alive to see you become an adult!"

Sara feels her temper spike at the mention, and she barely manages to hold her powers back in the flurry of emotion that storms through her. Sara breathes deeply and runs her thumb along her mother's ring. Instead of calming her like it normally does, the action sets her blood to ice.

In the background of her consciousness she hears Lord Blackheart continue with, "This _mongrel_ had-"

Myne knows the fury of Sara (and what she could be capable of), and she tries to usher Sara past Lord Blackheart and into the Inn. At the same moment, Alex steps out of the Inn; he sees his father and his companions, and reads the barely held hostility along Sara's body. He moves forwards and steps between his father and the sorceress in an attempt to defuse the situation. For Sara, it is too much to see Alex seemingly stepping in for his father; she had thought they might have reached a somewhat amicable place at the conclusion of their ceremony. She barely holds back from screaming at the paladin, but her temper gets the better of her and she punches him square in the jaw. Alex sees the punch coming, but does nothing to block the incoming attack from the girl.

He lets his head snap to the side from the impact before glaring at Sara and coolly telling her, "Drunken provocation doesn't warrant bloodshed."

Alex sees the girl's eyes flash with a warmth of color; he nearly double takes but he sees her eyes remain their normal grey. He must have imagined her irises burning bright like the glow of embers.

A split second later Sara loses all semblance of control she had, screaming, "Bloodshed?! He slit my mother's throat in a gods damned alley!"

At this statement, Alex feels his blood turn cold; he turns to his father with a sombre and serious tone, "Father, do her words hold true?"

The lord does not answer his son's question, instead he turns to the half-elves and Roth, and tells them, "You lot are not worth my time," before he stumbles off into the night.

As Alex watches his father leave, he turns to Sara, and carefully asks her, "How are you positive that my father is responsible for-"

Sara interrupts him, "Responsible?! I watched him do it! I was fourteen and thought my mother had stepped out to fetch some herbs from the inn's garden, but that monster of a man had her dragged into an alley before he spilled her blood himself!"

Alex had guessed much about his father's reputation in the village since he left so many years ago; he had heard the whispered conversations that had trailed him since he had shown up. Still, he was not completely sure his father was capable of murder.

At Sara's statement, Alex gives her a solemn and serious look as he says, "I promise to look into this for you. If my father is indeed responsible for such a crime, I will make sure he answers for it."

Sara lowers her eyes, her anger calming from Alex's conviction. She looks back to Alex's face, and sees the red mark she left on Alex's jaw. Turning crimson with embarrassment, she stammers, "T-Thank you…"

"It is the right thing to do. You must excuse me, I will look into matters immediately." With that, he strides away from the Inn, heading in the direction of the Shieldheart manor.

The three of them watch Alex's retreating figure, and knowing that Roth would likely be confused about what transpired, Myne quietly explains, "Lord Shieldheart is not a man to be trifled with…"

Roth turns his attention to the two girls as he solemnly says, "I have gathered as much."

With Sara soothed by Alex's valiant gestures, the three of them enter the tavern without lighting the thatch on fire. Inside, the crowd gives the heroes a hearty cheer, and the bartender Holgast motions for them to step up to the thronged bar.

He gives them all a drink on the house, at which Myne explains, "I have already had 7 but feel great!"

Sara allows herself a sigh and a grin at her words. As they sip their beers at the bar, Roth tries to remain casual as he says, "Holgast, thank you for the beers. Um, we were wondering whether or not you have seen a man with a scar on his face?"

Holgast nods and says, "Yes, there is a man that matches your description staying in one of the rooms upstairs. He may have left the bar earlier, I have not seen him today. Why, is he a friend of yours?"

Roth looks at Sara and Myne before saying, "He is an acquaintance...thank you for the information." He steps away from the bar, as he knows the three of them can try to see if this man is in his room, and begins to make his way to the stairs.

As Myne and Sara begin to step away, Holgast motions the two half-elves closer, and with a sidelong glance says, "You know girls, after seeing you fight in the woods...I have a feeling you are full of surprises. To be able to call upon nature and the gods is something rare and precious, and should be cultivated. If you get the chance, you should travel to the city of Avalon, the seat of magic users in Nordost."

The girls give each other looks of surprise and then understanding at the bartender's suggestion.

He goes into storyteller mode as he continues, "Over a millennium ago magic was abundant, but when the darkness came, the magic was wiped clean of the land. Avalon is one of the few places left to learn and study magic, and the two of you could benefit from the knowledge and power of the place, aye?"

They nod their understanding, and step away from the bar to meet Roth by the stairs leading up to the rooms. They knock on the door that Holgast had told them belonged to their man, but there is no answer.

Just to make sure he really wasn't in there, Myne blurts out, "Hey, is there a Cygar in there?"

Sara and Roth quickly quiet her and glance around to make sure no one overheard her, but with the crowds downstairs and the hallway empty, there was nothing to be overheard.

 _ **Lo & Tarian: A Forced Meeting in an Alleyway & Rousing the Guards...for Something**_

Lo and Tarian are both worse for drink as the night wears on, and Lo is giving the crowd the blow-by-blow account of his epic deeds in the crypt of Kassen (with no skeletons). As Tarian watches the crowd and listens for any rumors, he catches a movement out of the corner of his eye: a dark figure seemed to come out from behind a building and then fade into the dark walls. Tarian catches Lo's eyes to point out the movement, and then staggers towards the alleyway where he last saw the movement. Lo continues with his tale of daring and do to keep the crowd's attention, but also keeps a couple glances out for Tarian. He sees Tarian approach the alleyway, and watches the rogue lean into the alley as if to peer into the darkness. He then sees Tarian get grabbed by a pair of hands and pulled into the alley.

In the darkness, Tarian can make out the figure of a man in a hooded robe, and from the flicker of a bonfire he sees a jagged scar across the man's face. Tarian is roughly shoved up against a building, pinning him there with a strong arm against his chest.

The man lets out a growl before whispering, "You are one of the newcomers to this village, and one of those that entered the crypt. What happened to you in there? I heard from the villagers that you all ran into some _problems_..."

As Tarian starts to open his mouth, the man presses harder on Tarian's chest and adds, "I will also be plain: I don't trust you, and I don't have time for lies. If you hold back anything, I will know."

Tarian does not want to reveal the undead to this man; he is a stranger that had given away nothing of his allegiances or intent, so he carefully recounts the giant bug, and the silly traps in place by the villagers.

Despite being pinned to a wall, he slyly adds, "You know, I did offer to help you just a couple days before. I deal in information, and I'm sure we can come to some kind of arrangement."

He glances to the end of the alley and continues, "My friends know that I'm here, by the way. You do not have much time."

The hooded man lets out another growl of irritation at Tarian's impudence and presses Tarian further against the wall, "I know you are holding back on me, so you had better come clean. You saw the undead, didn't you?"

Tarian folds under the man's gaze; the drinks he had consumed during the night had rendered him incapable of fighting back. He confirms the man's suspicions with a nod, "Yes...we did. We...we also found a strange black ooze that was coming out of the crypt." Here he produces the rag soaked with the black liquid, and holds it out to the stranger.

The man snatches the rag, and holds it up for examination, "Our world is bleeding, and it's blood is black. If _they_ arrive, the people of Kassen are in danger. Inform the Lord, rouse the guards, and put them on high alert!"

Tarian wants his suspicions confirmed and asks, "Are you Cygar?"

The man nods slowly at Tarian, and when he owns to the name, Tarian says, "We found your comrade and her journal in the woods. I'm sorry, she is dead."

Cygar deflates with a sigh, hanging his head before saying, "Her name was Marian...I am sorry that she did not make it…" Cygar seems to know who is responsible for her death and continues, "It is best if you do not know any more about the men that we are hunting, or the danger that is approaching. Leave this alley, and inform the lord immediately that this village is in danger."

Cygar releases Tarian from his grip, shoving him roughly away from him, and as Tarian reaches the end of the alleyway, he turns back to see that Cygar has vanished.

Tarian emerges from the alleyway, and Lo is relieved to see him unharmed, although from Tarian's face Lo can tell that he is worried. Lo hastily finishes his story for the crowd, and gives them a parting smile and wave to indicate that his performance is over.

As Lo approaches Tarian, he beckons to Lo and says, "I met Cygar! I was pinned to the wall and pressed for information...and he took the rag with the ooze sample on it! Luckily, I also filled a jar with the ooze, just in case. We must inform Lord Shieldheart that the village could be in danger. He needs to rouse his guards…"

A thought occurs to Tarian, and he amends his statement, "...maybe we can get some money out of this deal first. The lord wants to know what is going on...that could come at a price!"

As they turn to walk in the direction of the Shieldheart manor, Tarian makes a valiant attempt to walk forward and instead falls face first into the dirt and passes out. The villagers that see one of their 'heroes of the night' fall over drunk explode with cheers and laughter. Lo helps the villagers pick Tarian up, and carry him to the Inn to sleep it off. As the drunk procession hits the second floor of the inn, they run into Roth, Myne, and Sara as they are about to leave. Sara lets out a sigh of despair at the sight of her group's lack of control, and she decides that a message needs to be left with Tarian so that when he wakes up, he will know to meet up with the group in the morning. Despite Myne also being a little tipsy from her 'seven' drinks, she manages to put a healing spell on Tarian so that his hangover would not be quite so severe in the morning, and with that he is reverentially carried off to his room in drunken glory. Sara, Myne, and Roth were ready to call it a night, and since Roth was staying at the Inn, he was already at his door. Sara decides to give him the journal, with the idea that they could leave a note under the door of the man they hoped was Cygar, telling him that if he was Cygar, to see Roth. Roth could then produce the journal and explain the situation, and hopefully get some answers. Roth gives a bow to the half-elves, and retires to his room for the night.

After dropping Tarian off at his room (and resisting the temptation to loot the elf of everything he had), Lo makes his way out of the Inn and begins the slow stumble towards the Lord's house.

 _I have to tell the lord… something. But it is urgent, and Kassen is in danger… from something._

The drinks were catching up with him, and his mind was being tugged away from the land of the thinking; he almost thought he heard the sound of pounding hoofbeats as he stumbled along. As he approaches the guards, he decides to cast a spell to make him appear like a guard, and manages to walk past the sentries with his disguise. He opens the unlocked door to the house of Lord Blackheart, and stands in a large entranceway alone. As he wanders through the entranceway, he catches the gleam of a candle, and follows it into the dining hall, where Lord Blackheart himself is seated. The lord is still drunk, and sits slouched in his chair, fast asleep. Lo decides to try to wake him up gently with his lute, but when he blearily opens his eyes and sees Lo he is somewhat taken off guard. He shouts at Lo to explain his intrusion, and then he realizes that Lo is one of the heroes, and that he has his lute. The lord immediately asks Lo to play a song to amuse him, and Lo obliges with a song that told the Lord that Kassen was in danger and that guards needed to be dispatched to protect the village from… something bad.

The lord was confused, and drunk, and did not look like he was ready to spring to action. In fact, he passes out as Lo stands there. Lo's next plan was to make his way to the guard house outside. Disguised as a guard once again, he tells the guards of the danger the village is in, and that the Lord is not in his senses to be able to issue an order. The guards are unsure why they are being roused, but they take Lo's alert to heart, and begin to head out into the village, looking out for anything "suspicious" in Lo's terms. Feeling like he had done his good deed for the night, he stumbles out of the guard house and makes his way back to center of town to find a place to sleep off the pink elephants in his head.

 _ **Myne & Sara: Finding and Fighting Trouble**_

Myne and Sara make their way back to Brynn's cottage to sleep for the night. Sara was originally just going to see Myne safely home, but Myne felt uncomfortable and worried at what might happen in the night, and Sara couldn't help feeling the same. By the time they made it to the cottage, Sara had assured Myne that she would stay the night with her cousin. As they pushed open the door to the cottage, they saw that Brynn was not at home yet. The body of the poor woman was where they had left her, and the house was empty and dark.

As they stand in the doorway of the cottage, they hear the sound of approaching hoof beats. They have just enough time to turn and see Alex on his horse, riding at full speed out of the village and into the forest. Sara runs out to the path to watch Alex's departing figure, and Myne joins her as they perceive two more figures riding towards them: much larger figures; burly and cloaked astride large Belgians. Sensing that these figures mean trouble for Alex, Sara immediately starts to wave her hands to distract the riders from their quarry. The riders halt a few yards past the two girls, and one of them motions to keep following the trail as he reins in his horse towards them. Sara and Myne watch as one of the figures spurs his horse and gallops down the path and out of view, and the other rider approaches them, dismounts, and pulls back his hood. Sara and Myne know the figure; he is a notorious half-orc associated with Lord Blackheart's doings: Dalug-hai. He is an imposing figure standing at over seven feet tall, wearing studded leather armor, and Myne is speechless from fright. Sara on the other hand feels emboldened by a sense of duty and protection for Alex.

She stands her ground and shouts, "What is going on here?"

Dalug-hai draws his double-headed axe as he shouts, "You're in league with him, and now that you've seen this, your lives are forfeit!"

Myne cries out to run, but Sara's impetuosity has taken over, and she blasts the half-orc with fire. Seeing that Sara was going to fight, Myne draws her dagger and stabs at Dalug-hai: she is still a little tipsy from the real alcohol she has had, and her fear does not help. Her blade harmlessly glances off the half-orc's armor. Rauros on the other hand senses the danger the girls are in, and viciously bites into Dalug-hai's leg. The half-orc lets out of roar of pain, and swings his axe at Sara, landing a heavy blow on her that takes away almost half her health.

Now the girls knew the danger they were really in, and how quickly it could go very wrong for them. Sara tries to use elemental ray, but it fails. Myne casts a healing spell on her cousin, but at the expense of the half-orc landing a blow on her. Rauros also takes another bite, hoping to distract the half-orc from Sara.

Sara steps back and casts mage armor on herself since it is clear that the half-orc is bent on seeing her dead, and Dalug-hai's next blow ricochets off her armor. Myne stabs again at the half-orc, but missteps and tumbles to the ground. Rauros goes for another bite, but the half-orc moves his calf just in time. From her prone position on the ground, Myne feels the same desperation that they felt just a day ago fighting Asar, and she remembers the wand that Sara found in the chamber. She shouts to her cousin about the wand, and Sara shouts back that she is afraid to waste its powers.

Myne pulls herself up off the ground and shouts, "You won't be able to waste it if we're dead! Hit him!"

Sara pulls out the wand, and feels the magic power vibrating and tingling in her hand. She aims it at the half-orc, and with ease launches two magic missiles that blast Dalug-hai in the chest. The half-orc is enraged by their persistence, and lands another heavy blow on Sara. Myne casts another healing spell on her cousin, but did not even bring her back from what she had lost with the last blow. Rauros also misses again; Dalug-hai is a skilled fighter that is difficult to land hits on.

Sara launches another volley of magic missiles at the half-orc, and because of the magic in the wand, they never miss. The power from the blow knocks the half-orc's next hit on Sara off just enough to miss her. Myne casts the last spell she can to protect her cousin: she gives Sara Virtue as Rauros misses another bite.

Sara is amazed at the power of this foe: he has taken many blows from the three of them, and has brought Myne and Sara to the brink of pain and exhaustion, and still he stands before them. If not for Myne's healing spells Sara would have been dead long ago, and Myne is not built to fight and would have succumbed to his blows not long after. Then she thinks of Alex, and how another half-orc like Dalug-hai is on the trail after him this moment… this had to end quickly. Sara flings another two missiles from the wand, and the half-orc is hit square in the chest again. He falls backward from the power of the hit, and lands on the ground unconscious.

The two girls approach the body, and see that he is not dead. Myne begins to mumble about trying to tie him up to interrogate him when he wakes up, or just leaving him there, but Sara already knows what to do. She grabs the dagger out of Myne's hands as she continues to stammer, bends over the body, and slashes his throat without any hesitation. Dalug-hai would terrorize the villagers of Kassen no more. Myne almost vomits at the gruesome scene and her cousin's resolve to end a life, but has no time to do so since Sara is already grabbing the reins of Dalug-hai's horse. She must reach Alex, he is clearly in danger, and the two of them are the only ones that know of his departure. Sara pulls her faltering cousin up onto the horse, and they gallop off into the forest with Rauros running alongside, leaving the body of Dalug-hai in the road where he fell.

As the two girls take off in the direction that Alex had disappeared in, Myne notices that her cousin seems to be having issues with the large Belgian. Sara had never been the best rider, but she was still fairly competent with the beasts. It's then that Myne realizes that Sara is shaking slightly.

"Sara?" she asks the older girl, tightening her arms around the sorceress's waist.

She hears Sara take a shaky breath before the girl reaches a hand up and furiously wipes her eyes. "It's different," Sara tells Myne, blinking back more tears. "Illusions and skeletons don't really prepare you for that…"

The sorceress reaches down and lays her hand across Myne's own, squeezing her fingers briefly before gripping the reins between both hands and urging the horse along faster. "We don't have time to dwell, we have to focus on the other orc and getting to Alex!"

She guides the Belgian along the path with her cousin holding on to her waist behind her. As they gallop down the path, they hear the sound of whizzing, and the horse stumbles and falls to the ground. They are thrown from the horse, but land relatively softly on the side of the road. When they are able to approach the horse, Myne finds an arrow in its chest. She immediately begins to tend to it, pulling out the arrow with care and healing the wound while talking softly to it.

As she is working, she senses something behind her- she turns and draws her dagger in time to see a hooded figure that tries to grab her. Sara, who was standing by the horse, is in a similar predicament. She was unable to prepare for the attack, and now finds herself grappling with another masked man. She tries to let off a magical spell, but with the man holding her arms she is afraid where her spells will land. Myne stabs at the masked man attacking her, and Rauros tries to bite him. She manages to fight him off, and with a final swipe of her dagger sends the man toppling over. As she turns to find her cousin, Sara's hands and feet are being bound and a black sack has been thrown over her head. Myne begins to run towards her cousin and her assailant, but as she does, more figures appear out of the gloom: men with shining armor, some astride horses. Myne knows it is over for them; Sara is already being dragged to a wagon, and with so many men, Myne has no hope of recovering her, and she refuses to entertain the idea of running: she will stay with her cousin. With that decision made in her head, she holds up her hands in surrender. She sees more figures in black, others look different. They are wearing armor, carrying shields, and the horses have symbols on their livery that she recognizes: two swords crossed (just like the seal on the note in the crypt).

As a man astride a horse approaches her, she manages to look up at him and ask, "Who...who are you?"

He gives her no answer, but instead turns to the other men, and instructs that she be bound and bagged like her cousin, and placed on the back of the cart. The last thing Myne sees is the inside of a black sack as her hands are tied behind her back.


	7. The Eternal Light of Kassen:11th of Neth

**11th of Neth:** **The Day After the Longest Night**

 _ **Sneaking in Stables and Leaving Kassen Behind**_

The small camp of the Heroes of Kassen could be seen as little white mounds in a clearing. Since Tarian did not have a tent, he had been sharing a tiny tent with Lo, and now his long legs stick out from the tent where he had collapsed in exhaustion the night before. Other than Tarian's limbs protruding from a tent, no signs of life could be seen until the light of late morning intrudes upon them. They slowly rise from their bedrolls, most of them groaning and wincing with the effort of moving stiff and sore body parts.

As they begin to slowly and quietly take down camp, Roth takes advantage of the silence to inform the group about their late-night visitor, "We had a visit from someone not wholly unexpected, considering what happened last night. Cygar came to our camp while you slept. Tarian and Myne were also awake for his visit."

Sara, Lo, and Bo stop their efforts at cleanup to stare intently at the ranger, waiting for more information. He continues with conviction, "Look, I just...I cannot help feeling like I have been placed in the path of something bigger than myself, and between what we witnessed in Kassen's crypt, the soldiers and masked intruders, and what Cygar revealed to us last night...we have been shown a path."

Myne's eyes are focused on the faraway, and she shudders. Without focusing her eyes on any of them she says in almost a whisper, "All those people...Alex...Father Prast. We have to do something."

She comes to herself, and in a determined voice continues, "We will be hunted for standing up to these people...they don't care about us, or anyone. Cygar gave us a map, and has given us a chance to be a part of stopping this group if we choose to take it, and look at us! I can't believe that was us that stood up to those soldiers! Sara, Lo, and I have never left Kassen, but I am ready to do so now!"

Tarian crosses his arms and adds, "This Lord Shieldheart is into something. He sold out your village for this crystal. I found a letter in his manor that pins him to this Zod person that Cygar says was one of the masked people we saw last night. I want more on his involvement with this organization. They have my interest."

Sara speaks up with worry in her voice, "What about Alex?! He is out there being chased by one of those half-orcs!"

Roth tries to soothe her, "Cygar says he will do what he can to figure out his direction and give chase to the army and masked people. They are supposedly working together for some purpose...the armies of Isidore and this Organization are after something, and Cygar's group, the Pathfinders, are trying to stop them. Cygar thinks our best option is to head west in search of these medallion pieces that Lord Kassen had told us about. If this masked organization is after those pieces as well, we must try to thwart that effort and get to it first."

Bo sits and listens intently, finally saying, "There is cruelty in those masked people. I am on my own path to find destiny, and it seems that it has found me. I have heard of the Pathfinders in my travels; their efforts are to be commended. There can be no greater duty that to Nordost itself."

Lo shrugs his shoulders noncommittally, "Well we can't very well just go strolling back into town after making such a mess. Let's get out of here."

Roth pulls out the map that Cygar had given him the night before, and begins to point out directions the group could travel if they plan on following Cygar's advice. He had suggested that the group head out in pursuit of the third piece of Lord Kassen's medallion; the last known location being the nation of Reynes.

Lo recognizes the name, "That is an allied nation south of Solaris. It is a wealthy nation due to the gems and precious metals that are mined from the surrounding mountains. The capital is Morrona, in the northern section of the nation. I've heard It is quite cosmopolitan; the sight of this rag-tag crew may raise a few well-groomed eyebrows."

As they study the map, Sara and Myne remember the bartender's words of advice. Sara says, "Lo, that is Avalon there. Holgast dropped Myne and I a hint that we should go there. You're gifted with the magic like us, and apparently Avalon is a magical city. It may be of benefit to seek out more knowledge on how to use and control our magical abilities."

Myne joins the conversation, "You and Sara have been aware of your powers and practicing control for as much as seven years, but I've only been aware of my powers for three years. I have relied heavily on Sara to learn control. This city will be worth our while, considering how little magic is in the world at all."

After examining the map closely, Myne and Roth calculate that Avalon will be about a nine-day journey southwest on foot, and the group agrees to reach Avalon first for the sake of their magic users, and then continue southwest in search of the last piece of the medallion in the nation of Reynes.

The thought of a nine-day trek on foot is enough incentive for Tarian to attempt to find some other mode of transportation. With the lord's house next to the woods where their camp stood, it seems like the easiest place to start. The rest of the group trails behind Tarian as he traipses up to the quiet keep. As they near the house and grounds, Tarian goes into a crouch, and sneaks up to the stables located next to the guard's station (which is empty) while the rest of the group hangs back out of sight next to a wall. In the stables he finds three warhorses, but they are less than thrilled to accompany him after he unsuccessfully tries to saddle two of them.

Tarian returns to the party, and relays the situation, "There are three great warhorses in that stable that we could use to get out of this town, but they won't even allow me to get close enough to get the saddles on!"

Myne angrily cuts in, "We are not thinking of stealing horses, are we?"

Tarian grins at her hostility and adds, "Oh yeah, we're going to steal them. They are worth about 300 gold apiece. You could make this work much easier if you wouldn't mind saying a few kind words to them..."

Myne gasps at his forwardness and the value of the horses, crosses her arms and resolutely sits herself down in the grass in protest as the rest of the group head back to the stables to help Tarian.

Lo, Sara, Bo, and Roth see the need to steal the horses for various reasons, but their attempts to calm the horses' fears are just as futile. The huge war horses whinny and rear up when they approach, clearly telling them to back off.

Lo quickly backpedals from the stalls after one of the stallions nearly puts a hoof through the stall and says, "Roth it's no good. We need her...she'll listen to you."

Sara eggs him on, "I don't want to walk all the way to Avalon, and she likes you. I can tell."

Roth sighs and runs his hands through his hair, aware that the rest of the group is giving him their best puppy dog eyes, "Fine, I'll try to talk to her."

Roth approaches Myne with an apologetic look on his face, and kneels in the grass next to her. She gives him a huff, but seems to accept his presence in silence.

He takes a deep breath before saying, "Myne I know you don't want to steal. These horses, they would have been ridden by the guards of Kassen that are now dead, and in the end, they belong to Lord Shieldheart. Even for you three that call Kassen home, you do not owe him your allegiance because he did not uphold his duty to protect his citizens. Taking the horses would in some way pay back a small part of the debt."

Myne sighs, deflating somewhat from Roth's explanation before standing and quietly saying, "I will talk to them...they deserve better than _Blackheart_."

The rest of the group backs away to let Myne approach the stables alone. They watch the horses stamp and whinny until they see her, and then slowly go docile as she whispers words to them. Without any hesitation, she opens the gates to each of their stalls, pats them gently, and calmly leads them out of the stables. With Myne talking to them, Roth, Tarian, and Lo saddle each of the horses as Sara discovers an open wagon set up against one of the stable walls.

With that, they hitch up two of the horses to the wagon while Roth ventures into town to quickly buy a week's worth of rations for the group with the gold he acquired from the crypt. He also buys arrows for himself, and Tarian buys a crossbow. While they gather supplies, the rest of the group makes themselves comfortable in the wagon. Bo curls up and almost instantly falls into a deep sleep; so much that he begins to dream, and swings his arms in the air at invisible foes. Myne, who is sitting next to him, shuffles away from the monk in an attempt to avoid getting knocked out. When Roth and Tarian return, Tarian lifts himself up on the third horse, Roth hops in the driver's seat of the wagon, and they make their way out of town on the only road heading west towards Avalon.

 **11th-15th of Neth: The Quiet Village**

The party travels in relative ease and comfort for three days, watching the terrain change from dense dark forest to a much sparser one. Their conversation is intermittent, and much of it revolved around finding out more about their new companions, when they were willing to talk. Lo seemed to be the only one able to get Tarian to open up: they had the starting of a bond through their common mind for gold and mischief, and Lo was able to find out that Tarian was quite the traveler, making his start all the way in the city of Zerzura in the region of Orestes. It was clear across the continent to the east, and Lo could only find out that Tarian had crafted his business around his personal goals. He was seeking something, but even Lo could not get him to reveal what that was. Bo sat in silence or sleep for most of the trip, but when Bo was awake, they find out more about their strange companion: he had traveled from his monastery on the faraway island of Luna, seeking meaning and purpose. He used his hands to fight, a technique none of them had seen before. He was curious about the land around him, but was just as likely to stay silent than to offer up his observations. Sara and Myne mostly talked to each other in familial comfort, with Roth trying to chime into the conversations when he could speak from his spot at the driver's seat.

They see mountains scratching against the sky to the southwest. On the fourth day of travel, they come to an intersection with another road, and the road they are on comes to an end. The new road runs north to southwest, and Roth knows that this is the Trail of the Magi, and that the group needs to take the southwesterly trail in order to continue on to Avalon. As they continue on the Trail of the Magi, they see two mountain ranges coming together in front of them, and later in the day come to a crossing with another road. They know that this is the Pixie Trail that veers south, but that they need to stay on the Trail of the Magi to reach Avalon.

On the fifth day of travel, the road is a miserable one as cold rain drives down on the party. They see smoke ahead on the trail, and soon a small village comes into view. The group feels a certain sense of longing with the thoughts of a warm, dry place to sleep and a hot meal. They enter the village by mid-afternoon, and notice a lack of villagers: no one is in the streets, the houses look empty, and they begin to get the sense that something is wrong.

Lo slowly says, "I know that this is the village of Tera, and just inside the border of Ani; the border with Solaris is not far...to my knowledge this village is still inhabited…"

 **15th of Neth: Aiding an Alchemist**

 _ **Flirting with the Only Girl In Town**_

They ride in silence to the middle of the town, and see a sign for a tavern named Aaron's Alley. The muddy mess in the road and the unfamiliar ghost town is enough to keep Sara, Myne, and Roth in the cart while Lo, Tarian, and Bo head into the tavern for information and maybe a bite to eat. Inside the tavern, there is complete silence, and the only sign of activity is the barmaid behind the counter wiping a few glasses clean. The three men put on their best saunter as they approach the bar and give the barmaid a smile, strategically smoothing their damp hair and taking off a few soggy pieces of outerwear.

Tarian puts a couple silvers on the table, "Can I get a hot wine, miss."

The barmaid obliges, and says, "You men are new to town...quite adventurous of you to be coming at a time like this."

Lo loosens the laces on his tunic to bear his chest, gives the barmaid a flirty grin and says, "Well miss, we're just passing through. On our way to Avalon if you must know. We are curious though...we did not see anyone as we rode into town. Where is everyone?"

The barmaid gives them a worried look, carefully setting down the glass she had been wiping, "Sirs, the town is suffering from a plague…"

Tarian nearly chokes on his beer as the barmaid says this, but he maintains his composure and manages to hide his shock behind a small cough.

Lo covers up his chest slightly as he politely asks, "When...when did this happen then?"

"It has been two weeks since villagers first started getting sick. I've kept my distance, and have managed to stave off the illness."

Tarian takes a subtle step away from the barmaid, "You haven't seen a young knight come through, have you?"

"No sir. There has been no one for many days."

The men look slightly crestfallen that Alex had not been seen going in their direction, and Tarian asks, "How far are we from Avalon? Is there anything about the trail ahead that you could tell us?"

"You are no more than three days from Avalon, and there are open fortresses on both sides of the borders between Ani and Solaris, but that there is an alliance between them so you will have no need to worry when you cross the border."

Lo smiles ingratiatingly at the barmaid, "Thanks very much miss. We'll...we'll just be going now."

They give a quick adieu and back out of the tavern. Once out of the tavern, they squishily turn in the mud and make for the cart. Back at the cart, Sara, Myne, and Roth see the three men approaching with strange looks on their faces.

When they get into the cart, Tarian hastily jumps into the saddle and says, "Okay everyone, we should be leaving now."

Lo hops in the wagon and adds, "No reason to stay here...nope."

Sara gives them both suspicious looks, "Okay...why do we need to leave so quickly. I think most of us want a warm bed tonight…"

Lo and Tarian both give noncommittal excuses ranging from 'they have no rooms' to 'I think we can do better.'

Bo sits heavily with his arms akimbo and quietly says, "There is a plague here."

When they hear these words, Myne screams out, "What?!" and jumps off the cart, making her way to the tavern with Sara and Roth following her.

When the three enter the bar, the maid seems slightly bemused at the sight of more travelers, and Myne quickly asks, "I would like more information about this plague. I have skills in herbalism and healing, and I may be of some help. Is there an herbalist or medic in town that is trying to aid the village?"

The barmaid smiles appreciatively and says, "There is an alchemist named Jonathan Halver, a traveler who arrived a few days ago, who is trying to find a cure for the village. Last I heard, he is working in a house at the end of the road this way."

The barmaid points in the general direction of the house he is known to be working in, and the three make their way out of the tavern. When they reach the cart, they relay their intentions to help the village by finding the alchemist, and Bo jumps down off the cart to accompany them.

 _ **An Errand for the Herbalist and Rifling Through Packs**_

When the four reach the house that the barmaid had pointed them towards, they see smoke coming out of the chimney, and knock on the door. A tall figure with a scarf around his face and long robes opens the door, quickly steps outside and closes the door behind him.

He pulls the scarf away from his mouth and says, "You four should be moving on, there are many villagers affected by the plague in this house."

At these words, Bo quietly steps back away from the house, and says, "I...will meet you all back at the wagon."

Myne steps forward and says, "Hello. My name is Simbelmyne, and these are my companions Saraneth and Damerothlin. We are travelers like you, and when we stumbled on this village we were informed of the plague. I...am a healer of sorts, and an herbalist. I know many plants, and if I could be of any help to the village I...we are here."

The figure brightens when she mentions her knowledge of plants, and says, "Well met then, Simbelmyne. My name is Jonathan." He pulls a journal out of his robes, and quickly turns to a page within, pointing on the page at an illustration while continuing, "If you are good with herbalism, this is Illuminative Lichen, and I think this may help to heal the villagers. The issue is that it only grows in damp environments like a swamp. If you and your party want to be of use to the village, you could seek out this lichen for me."

Myne gives a determined look as she says, "I will discuss it with my party, and let you know what our decision is."

While Sara, Myne, Roth, and Bo are off talking to the alchemist, Lo and Tarian keep to the cart. As soon as they are out of eyeshot, Tarian begins to rifle through a random pack, which turns out to be Bo's.

Lo gives Tarian a curious look, "Uh, what are you doing, Tarian?"

Tarian smiles as he pulls out random traveling supplies from Bo's pack and simply replies, "I'm just looking for anything interesting."

Lo decides to join in the 'fun' by also choosing a pack at random: Myne's. They both find nothing out of the ordinary, although Lo finds some pleasure in reading Myne's journal, especially the bits about how much she enjoys Lo's music, and about how interesting she finds the ranger to be. They manage to get the packs back to their normal state just as Bo appears, and a few moments later the rest of the group join them.

Myne looks pleadingly at the group and says, "Would you all be willing to take a detour to aid this village? We can help them just by finding a lichen for this alchemist."

Roth quickly studies the map Cygar had given them, and says, "I estimate our best bet at finding the right conditions for this lichen to be past a mountain range to the southeast. Perhaps no more than two days out."

The group agrees to help with varying degrees of enthusiasm, and then decide to stay the night at the village inn and set out in the morning. Roth and Tarian go hunting in the woods, and bring down a ten-point buck, and Bo goes out gathering, and finds a squirrel. Roth expertly dresses the deer in the field, and when he brings it back, Lo sweet-talks a trade with the barmaid: some deer meat for three rooms for the night.


	8. Beyond Kassen: 11th-15th of Neth

**11th of Neth:** **The Day After the Longest Night**

 _ **Sneaking in Stables and Leaving Kassen Behind**_

The small camp of the Heroes of Kassen could be seen as little white mounds in a clearing. Since Tarian did not have a tent, he had been sharing a tiny tent with Lo, and now his long legs stick out from the tent where he had collapsed in exhaustion the night before. Other than Tarian's limbs protruding from a tent, no signs of life could be seen until the light of late morning intrudes upon them. They slowly rise from their bedrolls, most of them groaning and wincing with the effort of moving stiff and sore body parts.

As they begin to slowly and quietly take down camp, Roth takes advantage of the silence to inform the group about their late-night visitor, "We had a visit from someone not wholly unexpected, considering what happened last night. Cygar came to our camp while you slept. Tarian and Myne were also awake for his visit."

Sara, Lo, and Bo stop their efforts at cleanup to stare intently at the ranger, waiting for more information. He continues with conviction, "Look, I just...I cannot help feeling like I have been placed in the path of something bigger than myself, and between what we witnessed in Kassen's crypt, the soldiers and masked intruders, and what Cygar revealed to us last night...we have been shown a path."

Myne's eyes are focused on the faraway, and she shudders. Without focusing her eyes on any of them she says in almost a whisper, "All those people...Alex...Father Prast. We have to do something."

She comes to herself, and in a determined voice continues, "We will be hunted for standing up to these people...they don't care about us, or anyone. Cygar gave us a map, and has given us a chance to be a part of stopping this group if we choose to take it, and look at us! I can't believe that was us that stood up to those soldiers! Sara, Lo, and I have never left Kassen, but I am ready to do so now!"

Tarian crosses his arms and adds, "This Lord Shieldheart is into something. He sold out your village for this crystal. I found a letter in his manor that pins him to this Zod person that Cygar says was one of the masked people we saw last night. I want more on his involvement with this organization. They have my interest."

Sara speaks up with worry in her voice, "What about Alex?! He is out there being chased by one of those half-orcs!"

Roth tries to soothe her, "Cygar says he will do what he can to figure out his direction and give chase to the army and masked people. They are supposedly working together for some purpose...the armies of Isidore and this Organization are after something, and Cygar's group, the Pathfinders, are trying to stop them. Cygar thinks our best option is to head west in search of these medallion pieces that Lord Kassen had told us about. If this masked organization is after those pieces as well, we must try to thwart that effort and get to it first."

Bo sits and listens intently, finally saying, "There is cruelty in those masked people. I am on my own path to find destiny, and it seems that it has found me. I have heard of the Pathfinders in my travels; their efforts are to be commended. There can be no greater duty that to Nordost itself."

Lo shrugs his shoulders noncommittally, "Well we can't very well just go strolling back into town after making such a mess. Let's get out of here."

Roth pulls out the map that Cygar had given him the night before, and begins to point out directions the group could travel if they plan on following Cygar's advice. He had suggested that the group head out in pursuit of the third piece of Lord Kassen's medallion; the last known location being the nation of Reynes.

Lo recognizes the name, "That is an allied nation south of Solaris. It is a wealthy nation due to the gems and precious metals that are mined from the surrounding mountains. The capital is Morrona, in the northern section of the nation. I've heard It is quite cosmopolitan; the sight of this rag-tag crew may raise a few well-groomed eyebrows."

As they study the map, Sara and Myne remember the bartender's words of advice. Sara says, "Lo, that is Avalon there. Holgast dropped Myne and I a hint that we should go there. You're gifted with the magic like us, and apparently Avalon is a magical city. It may be of benefit to seek out more knowledge on how to use and control our magical abilities."

Myne joins the conversation, "You and Sara have been aware of your powers and practicing control for as much as seven years, but I've only been aware of my powers for three years. I have relied heavily on Sara to learn control. This city will be worth our while, considering how little magic is in the world at all."

After examining the map closely, Myne and Roth calculate that Avalon will be about a nine-day journey southwest on foot, and the group agrees to reach Avalon first for the sake of their magic users, and then continue southwest in search of the last piece of the medallion in the nation of Reynes.

The thought of a nine-day trek on foot is enough incentive for Tarian to attempt to find some other mode of transportation. With the lord's house next to the woods where their camp stood, it seems like the easiest place to start. The rest of the group trails behind Tarian as he traipses up to the quiet keep. As they near the house and grounds, Tarian goes into a crouch, and sneaks up to the stables located next to the guard's station (which is empty) while the rest of the group hangs back out of sight next to a wall. In the stables he finds three warhorses, but they are less than thrilled to accompany him after he unsuccessfully tries to saddle two of them.

Tarian returns to the party, and relays the situation, "There are three great warhorses in that stable that we could use to get out of this town, but they won't even allow me to get close enough to get the saddles on!"

Myne angrily cuts in, "We are not thinking of stealing horses, are we?"

Tarian grins at her hostility and adds, "Oh yeah, we're going to steal them. They are worth about 300 gold apiece. You could make this work much easier if you wouldn't mind saying a few kind words to them..."

Myne gasps at his forwardness and the value of the horses, crosses her arms and resolutely sits herself down in the grass in protest as the rest of the group head back to the stables to help Tarian.

Lo, Sara, Bo, and Roth see the need to steal the horses for various reasons, but their attempts to calm the horses' fears are just as futile. The huge war horses whinny and rear up when they approach, clearly telling them to back off.

Lo quickly backpedals from the stalls after one of the stallions nearly puts a hoof through the stall and says, "Roth it's no good. We need her...she'll listen to you."

Sara eggs him on, "I don't want to walk all the way to Avalon, and she likes you. I can tell."

Roth sighs and runs his hands through his hair, aware that the rest of the group is giving him their best puppy dog eyes, "Fine, I'll try to talk to her."

Roth approaches Myne with an apologetic look on his face, and kneels in the grass next to her. She gives him a huff, but seems to accept his presence in silence.

He takes a deep breath before saying, "Myne I know you don't want to steal. These horses, they would have been ridden by the guards of Kassen that are now dead, and in the end, they belong to Lord Shieldheart. Even for you three that call Kassen home, you do not owe him your allegiance because he did not uphold his duty to protect his citizens. Taking the horses would in some way pay back a small part of the debt."

Myne sighs, deflating somewhat from Roth's explanation before standing and quietly saying, "I will talk to them...they deserve better than _Blackheart_."

The rest of the group backs away to let Myne approach the stables alone. They watch the horses stamp and whinny until they see her, and then slowly go docile as she whispers words to them. Without any hesitation, she opens the gates to each of their stalls, pats them gently, and calmly leads them out of the stables. With Myne talking to them, Roth, Tarian, and Lo saddle each of the horses as Sara discovers an open wagon set up against one of the stable walls.

With that, they hitch up two of the horses to the wagon while Roth ventures into town to quickly buy a week's worth of rations for the group with the gold he acquired from the crypt. He also buys arrows for himself, and Tarian buys a crossbow. While they gather supplies, the rest of the group makes themselves comfortable in the wagon. Bo curls up and almost instantly falls into a deep sleep; so much that he begins to dream, and swings his arms in the air at invisible foes. Myne, who is sitting next to him, shuffles away from the monk in an attempt to avoid getting knocked out. When Roth and Tarian return, Tarian lifts himself up on the third horse, Roth hops in the driver's seat of the wagon, and they make their way out of town on the only road heading west towards Avalon.

 **11th-15th of Neth: The Quiet Village**

The party travels in relative ease and comfort for three days, watching the terrain change from dense dark forest to a much sparser one. Their conversation is intermittent, and much of it revolved around finding out more about their new companions, when they were willing to talk. Lo seemed to be the only one able to get Tarian to open up: they had the starting of a bond through their common mind for gold and mischief, and Lo was able to find out that Tarian was quite the traveler, making his start all the way in the city of Zerzura in the region of Orestes. It was clear across the continent to the east, and Lo could only find out that Tarian had crafted his business around his personal goals. He was seeking something, but even Lo could not get him to reveal what that was. Bo sat in silence or sleep for most of the trip, but when Bo was awake, they find out more about their strange companion: he had traveled from his monastery on the faraway island of Luna, seeking meaning and purpose. He used his hands to fight, a technique none of them had seen before. He was curious about the land around him, but was just as likely to stay silent than to offer up his observations. Sara and Myne mostly talked to each other in familial comfort, with Roth trying to chime into the conversations when he could speak from his spot at the driver's seat.

They see mountains scratching against the sky to the southwest. On the fourth day of travel, they come to an intersection with another road, and the road they are on comes to an end. The new road runs north to southwest, and Roth knows that this is the Trail of the Magi, and that the group needs to take the southwesterly trail in order to continue on to Avalon. As they continue on the Trail of the Magi, they see two mountain ranges coming together in front of them, and later in the day come to a crossing with another road. They know that this is the Pixie Trail that veers south, but that they need to stay on the Trail of the Magi to reach Avalon.

On the fifth day of travel, the road is a miserable one as cold rain drives down on the party. They see smoke ahead on the trail, and soon a small village comes into view. The group feels a certain sense of longing with the thoughts of a warm, dry place to sleep and a hot meal. They enter the village by mid-afternoon, and notice a lack of villagers: no one is in the streets, the houses look empty, and they begin to get the sense that something is wrong.

Lo slowly says, "I know that this is the village of Tera, and just inside the border of Ani; the border with Solaris is not far...to my knowledge this village is still inhabited…"

 **15th of Neth: Aiding an Alchemist**

 _ **Flirting with the Only Girl In Town**_

They ride in silence to the middle of the town, and see a sign for a tavern named Aaron's Alley. The muddy mess in the road and the unfamiliar ghost town is enough to keep Sara, Myne, and Roth in the cart while Lo, Tarian, and Bo head into the tavern for information and maybe a bite to eat. Inside the tavern, there is complete silence, and the only sign of activity is the barmaid behind the counter wiping a few glasses clean. The three men put on their best saunter as they approach the bar and give the barmaid a smile, strategically smoothing their damp hair and taking off a few soggy pieces of outerwear.

Tarian puts a couple silvers on the table, "Can I get a hot wine, miss."

The barmaid obliges, and says, "You men are new to town...quite adventurous of you to be coming at a time like this."

Lo loosens the laces on his tunic to bear his chest, gives the barmaid a flirty grin and says, "Well miss, we're just passing through. On our way to Avalon if you must know. We are curious though...we did not see anyone as we rode into town. Where is everyone?"

The barmaid gives them a worried look, carefully setting down the glass she had been wiping, "Sirs, the town is suffering from a plague…"

Tarian nearly chokes on his beer as the barmaid says this, but he maintains his composure and manages to hide his shock behind a small cough.

Lo covers up his chest slightly as he politely asks, "When...when did this happen then?"

"It has been two weeks since villagers first started getting sick. I've kept my distance, and have managed to stave off the illness."

Tarian takes a subtle step away from the barmaid, "You haven't seen a young knight come through, have you?"

"No sir. There has been no one for many days."

The men look slightly crestfallen that Alex had not been seen going in their direction, and Tarian asks, "How far are we from Avalon? Is there anything about the trail ahead that you could tell us?"

"You are no more than three days from Avalon, and there are open fortresses on both sides of the borders between Ani and Solaris, but that there is an alliance between them so you will have no need to worry when you cross the border."

Lo smiles ingratiatingly at the barmaid, "Thanks very much miss. We'll...we'll just be going now."

They give a quick adieu and back out of the tavern. Once out of the tavern, they squishily turn in the mud and make for the cart. Back at the cart, Sara, Myne, and Roth see the three men approaching with strange looks on their faces.

When they get into the cart, Tarian hastily jumps into the saddle and says, "Okay everyone, we should be leaving now."

Lo hops in the wagon and adds, "No reason to stay here...nope."

Sara gives them both suspicious looks, "Okay...why do we need to leave so quickly. I think most of us want a warm bed tonight…"

Lo and Tarian both give noncommittal excuses ranging from 'they have no rooms' to 'I think we can do better.'

Bo sits heavily with his arms akimbo and quietly says, "There is a plague here."

When they hear these words, Myne screams out, "What?!" and jumps off the cart, making her way to the tavern with Sara and Roth following her.

When the three enter the bar, the maid seems slightly bemused at the sight of more travelers, and Myne quickly asks, "I would like more information about this plague. I have skills in herbalism and healing, and I may be of some help. Is there an herbalist or medic in town that is trying to aid the village?"

The barmaid smiles appreciatively and says, "There is an alchemist named Jonathan Halver, a traveler who arrived a few days ago, who is trying to find a cure for the village. Last I heard, he is working in a house at the end of the road this way."

The barmaid points in the general direction of the house he is known to be working in, and the three make their way out of the tavern. When they reach the cart, they relay their intentions to help the village by finding the alchemist, and Bo jumps down off the cart to accompany them.

 _ **An Errand for the Herbalist and Rifling Through Packs**_

When the four reach the house that the barmaid had pointed them towards, they see smoke coming out of the chimney, and knock on the door. A tall figure with a scarf around his face and long robes opens the door, quickly steps outside and closes the door behind him.

He pulls the scarf away from his mouth and says, "You four should be moving on, there are many villagers affected by the plague in this house."

At these words, Bo quietly steps back away from the house, and says, "I...will meet you all back at the wagon."

Myne steps forward and says, "Hello. My name is Simbelmyne, and these are my companions Saraneth and Damerothlin. We are travelers like you, and when we stumbled on this village we were informed of the plague. I...am a healer of sorts, and an herbalist. I know many plants, and if I could be of any help to the village I...we are here."

The figure brightens when she mentions her knowledge of plants, and says, "Well met then, Simbelmyne. My name is Jonathan." He pulls a journal out of his robes, and quickly turns to a page within, pointing on the page at an illustration while continuing, "If you are good with herbalism, this is Illuminative Lichen, and I think this may help to heal the villagers. The issue is that it only grows in damp environments like a swamp. If you and your party want to be of use to the village, you could seek out this lichen for me."

Myne gives a determined look as she says, "I will discuss it with my party, and let you know what our decision is."

While Sara, Myne, Roth, and Bo are off talking to the alchemist, Lo and Tarian keep to the cart. As soon as they are out of eyeshot, Tarian begins to rifle through a random pack, which turns out to be Bo's.

Lo gives Tarian a curious look, "Uh, what are you doing, Tarian?"

Tarian smiles as he pulls out random traveling supplies from Bo's pack and simply replies, "I'm just looking for anything interesting."

Lo decides to join in the 'fun' by also choosing a pack at random: Myne's. They both find nothing out of the ordinary, although Lo finds some pleasure in reading Myne's journal, especially the bits about how much she enjoys Lo's music, and about how interesting she finds the ranger to be. They manage to get the packs back to their normal state just as Bo appears, and a few moments later the rest of the group join them.

Myne looks pleadingly at the group and says, "Would you all be willing to take a detour to aid this village? We can help them just by finding a lichen for this alchemist."

Roth quickly studies the map Cygar had given them, and says, "I estimate our best bet at finding the right conditions for this lichen to be past a mountain range to the southeast. Perhaps no more than two days out."

The group agrees to help with varying degrees of enthusiasm, and then decide to stay the night at the village inn and set out in the morning. Roth and Tarian go hunting in the woods, and bring down a ten-point buck, and Bo goes out gathering, and finds a squirrel. Roth expertly dresses the deer in the field, and when he brings it back, Lo sweet-talks a trade with the barmaid: some deer meat for three rooms for the night.


	9. Beyond Kassen: 16th-18th of Neth

**16th-18th of Neth: Southeast of Tera**

In the morning, the rain has stopped, but the brisk cold of oncoming winter has not made getting out of bed any easier. Tarian purchases enough rations for the trip, which Myne purifies to ward off the disease of the town, and they make their way back out of town on the path they came in on. In two and a half days of travel, they follow the Trail of the Magi until they reach the Pixie Trail, which they turn southwards onto. Roth and Myne take turns scanning the terrain from outside the wagon, but find nothing out of the ordinary. On the third day out, they come up over a ridge and see a low-lying mist to the south, and the tops of dead trees poking through. They had reached the swampland, and their hopes of finding the lichen for the alchemist brightened.

As the trail draws up alongside the swamp, Myne jumps down from the wagon and says, "Maybe we can make quick work of this trip. I know what I'm looking for, and I'll ask just Roth to come with me; the rest can wait here. We're both skilled in survival and what nature can throw at us, and I trust Roth's judgement. I hope we can be back to the wagon in a couple hours."

Roth brightens at the invitation, and shoulders his pack to accompany her. As they step into the marshes, the water comes up to their knees; the air is dense and warm, and the water is thick and rancid-smelling.

Myne takes a deep breath and turns to Roth, "I know this lichen grows on the sides of damp stone, likely north-facing or with no exposure to sunlight at all."

Roth nods companionably, "Let's get in and out then. Watch your footing; this water could change depths without warning."

As they begin to wade away, Tarian seems to make his mind up about something, and jumps down from his horse, "Wait! I want to come too."

Roth and Myne watch him wade through the water to catch up, and give him looks of curiosity and questioning on their faces. He gives Myne and Roth no answer for his desire to tag along, but they accept his company.

All three manage to avoid the deeper sections of the marshes thanks to their keen senses. They come across many vibrant specimens of fungi and thick moss, but not the lichen they are looking for. As they wade deeper in, Tarian sees something protruding from the water: something rocky, but not naturally formed. It looks like a monolith as they approach it: 10 feet high by 10 feet wide, cut nearly perfectly rectangular. Three sides are covered in a swampy, decaying mess, and on the fourth side they find an opening; a doorway to a set of descending stairs. Their curiosity is held at bay at the top of the stairs long enough for Tarian to make a path back to gather the rest of the group before investigating further. He leads the group safely to the entrance, where Roth and Myne are anxiously waiting for them.

 **18th of Neth:** **The Swamp's Stony Descent**

 _ **Centipedes and Frogs After a Swim**_

Inside the doorway, they can tell the stone is slick, and as they carefully descend the air gets cooler and damper. After about twenty feet they stop suddenly; there is nothing but pitch black water at their feet. When Sara lights the way with an illumination spell, they see that the water is crystal clear, and the stone tunnel descends further underneath the water.

Roth decides to brave the water and investigate the dangers for the rest of the group. He ties some rope around his waist from one of the group's packs, and then takes a plunge. He swims down the stairs, and at the bottom sees a short hallway. Pressing forward, he swims through the tunnel and finds another set of stairs going up on the other side. He swims up the stairs, and breaks the surface of the water. The air in this tunnel is stagnant, and it is all man-made. He swims back to tell the rest of the group of the swim ahead of them, but that they should all be able to accomplish it. One after another, they each traverse the watery tunnel, and find themselves in a long tunnel, soaking wet but thrilled to have reached the other side.

There are tree roots that have broken through the expertly hewn walls, and they suddenly find themselves in a domed room with slivers of light coming in through the rock where the tree roots have punctured it. As they step in further, they see a slight rustling from around the cracks in the stone and rootwork, and as their eyes adjust to what they are seeing, they realize that a swarm of colorful centipedes are descending upon them from all around the dome.

They back into the tunnel to try to funnel the approaching insects, and Myne recognizes the species, shouting, "Of course they're the poisonous ones!"

Sara uses elemental ray to light the first wave on fire as Roth pulls out his longsword and takes a swing at the wall. Myne and Rauros both slash at the walls and connect with a clump of writhing insects, and then the swarm descends upon them, injuring Lo the worst of all of them. Tarian swings and misses, and then runs back down the tunnel for the safety of the water while Lo tries flare, and then follows Tarian. Bo turns and runs as fast as he can, outstripping the rogue and bard and performing a magnificent backflip into the water, swimming all the way through the watery tunnel to the other side (he wasn't taking any chances). Sara takes out her wand and fires a volley of magic missiles at the swarm, and Roth takes another swing with his broadsword to squash the remaining centipedes.

Covered in bug guts, Lo sends a magic message to Bo to tell him he can come back, and shortly afterwards the monk appears from down the tunnel. They walk across the domed room and find a closed door that opens when they push it. There is another tunnel before them with stone shelving lining the walls. There is dirt, debris, and rotting weaponry, but they do find two things in good condition: a studded leather armor shirt and a long bow with a dark complexion. Sara minutely examines the new gear, and finds nothing uncommon about the armor, but the bow is another matter. She could feel its power as she held it in her hands, and she knew that if Roth wielded this new bow, he would find his powers increased with it. For the matter of the armor, Myne refuses to take it, and with a little discussion, they decide it would be best used by Lo.

When they reach the end of the tunnel, they come to another large rectangular room. On one side the wall has caved in, and water trickles down from the opening. On top of the debris sit two large frogs, who eye them complacently as they carefully cross the room trying not to provoke them. At the end of the room is a set of descending stairs, and as they traverse them, Bo slips on a patch of muck and tumbles down the stairs into darkness. He is only slightly bruised, and gets to his feet as the rest of the group join him at the bottom.

 _ **Just One Spider in a Tunnel**_

In this hallway, there is no rootwork, and it would be utterly dark if not for Sara's powers. The tunnel is still clearly man-made, and as they make their way into the entrance of another large room, the first thing that catches their eyes is a large statue in the middle. The subject of the statue is a humanoid figure with a tail and elongated snout, and there are worn engravings along the pedestal.

Bo says, "I remember from my readings in the monastery that long ago this continent was home to lizardfolk, but they were wiped out by the first settlers. Although at the point when this statue would have been done, not many were left anyway."

As they further examine the room, they see cobwebs and spider webs along the walls and down the tunnel on the other side.

Myne cringes and whispers, "These webs must be the work of a very large spider. I am rather hoping the spider responsible for these is gone."

Tarian decides to venture towards the hallway on the other side of the room, and as he looks into the darkness of the tunnel, he sees the dark outline of a figure in the middle that stops him in his tracks. The figure begins to move towards Tarian, and soon at the mouth of the tunnel, he sees large legs unfolding as they stretch into the room, and when the figure fully emerges, Tarian is staring up at a Giant Black Widow.

Myne shouts, "Poisonous! Of course!"

The spider is hungry for flesh, and Tarian has drawn her out of her tunnel to feed: there was no time for Myne to try to talk to it. Roth pulls out his new longbow and fires a shot, but without getting his eye in on the bow, he misses the spider. Bo jumps in front of Tarian and delivers a Power Attack, and the spider's jaws narrowly miss Bo. Sara fires a crossbow bolt at it, while Tarian sneaks and misses, as does Myne. Rauros lands a heavy blow, and Lo hits it with his sword. Roth lines up his shot, and this time finds his target, as does Bo when he lands Flurry of Blows on the spider. The spider misses hitting Bo again, and Sara's crossbow bolt deflects off the spider's legs. Tarian stabs and hits, and Myne takes one last hit and buries her dagger into the spider's body. It crumples and twitches, and then lies still.

Roth uses his flint and tinder to burn the webbing out of the tunnel to make their trek through a little easier, and as the webbing smolders, they hear the sound of metal hitting the floor. Tarian heads into the tunnel first, and he finds the object that hit the floor: it's a dagger that Sara assesses is also not a piece of normal weaponry. Tarian takes the dagger to replace one of his others.

 _ **Finding a Friend in the Pool and a Reward for Efforts**_

The room they find when they emerge from the tunnel is a large one with a pool of water taking up the center of the room. Around the circumference of the pool is a walkway, and on the far wall they see a large mural. When they walk to the far side to examine the mural further, they see lizardfolk worshiping a floating ball of light. They also see that there is some kind of ceremonial altar with intricate carvings depicting lizardfolk in some aspect of worship. Their eyes are again drawn to the dark pool of water in the middle, and they decide to see how deep it is. Sara uses her powers to light a rock, and then drops it into the pool. The little glowing orb of light falls, and falls, and falls. They estimate that when the rock finally comes to rest, it must be 30 feet down.

They also start to notice movement from around the glow of the rock, and they see the shadowy figure of a serpent-like head rise up from out of the water, and then another, and then another. A five-headed hydra rears up out of the water, and begins to make its way to the altar. Sara pulls back her light source so they can better see the serpent as it approaches, and they ready themselves for a world of hurt.

Tarian sneaks and misses, Sara tries to cast Elemental Ray, but it too misses. Lo swings his sword and misses too. The hydra lashes out with three of its heads and hits Lo hard. Bo gets into a defensive stance and prepares to take the brunt of the damage from the hydra. He hits with a Power Attack. Myne heals Lo's wounds while Rauros bites the hydra and shields the two of them, and Roth takes aim and hits with his bow, as does Tarian with his short bow. Sara hits with her Elemental Ray, Lo dazzles the hydra with Flare, and the hydra manages to only connect with one of its heads. Myne casts Virtue on Bo, and Sara casts Rock Armor on Bo as well to protect him as Tarian's and Roth's volley of arrows miss. Lo casts Flare to keep the hydra dizzy, and Myne and Rauros both connect. Roth's and Tarian's next volley of arrows both find their marks, and Sara pulls out her wand with some hesitation (she had expended much of its valuable power) and hits the hydra with magic missiles. Exhausted of much of his magic, Lo searches around under nearby stone benches and finds a short sword that has a darker metallic look as the hydra misses again. Bo uses another Power attack on the hydra, Myne misses with her dagger, but Rauros hits with a swipe of his paw. Roth's arrow misses, but Tarian manages to stab the hydra from behind. Sara launches one more volley of magic missiles, and hits the hydra square in the chest. The hydra slumps over, and all the heads hitting the edge of the pool with successive thumps.

Bo's curiosity about the pool has not faded after the monster takes its last breath, and in a swelling of impulsiveness jumps into the pool, and swims down to the bottom. Once down there, he sees a set of bracers that he swims back up with. When Sara examines them, she knows that these too have special abilities for the user, and Bo puts them on with pride. As the others continue to examine the room, they find a rusty lever under a stone bench, and Sara finds a mummified hand on a chain on the bottom shelf of the altar. She knows that it is an object of power, and for the wearer of this gruesome necklace, they have the power to pick up something magically. She weighs her queasiness against the power that it would grant her, and shudders as she puts it around her neck. They decide to use the power of the necklace to lift the latch (in case of traps), and as she does so, a section of the stone wall opens to reveal a small chamber.

As they enter the musty room, the smell of mold and rot invades their senses. The ceiling is cracked above a small table, and the continuous drip of water from the crack has turned the table into a mess of rotting wood and mold. There are three perfect feathers sitting atop the rest of the pile of decay, and Sara knows that these pristine feathers are tokens, and each transform into something different: one is a massive oak tree, one is a bird, and one turns into an ethereal whip. Sara reverentially places these in her pack; she knows that these should only be used in dire circumstances. The other thing that catches the groups' eyes is a glowing coming from a dank corner of the room: Myne knows that this is the lichen that they were searching for. She carefully collects it and places it in her pack, and the group makes its way back out of the sunken temple.

 _ **Finding a Cure for Tarian's Finger… Other Than Cutting It Off**_

When the group make it back to their wagon, it is late afternoon; they decide to wait until morning to set out for Tera. It had been a long day in the sunken temple, and they were looking forward to a good rest and a bite to eat.

After their tents are pitched and the cooking fire lit, Myne decides to take advantage of the unique area and the last of the daylight to go out and find other herbs, fungi, and lichen. By aiding this alchemist, she realizes how valuable the profession of herbalism is, and she gives thanks for all the things her mother taught her. She felt confident that if she honed her skills even further, being an herbalist like her mother might give her something to survive on (since it seemed that quite abruptly she was an adult and on her own without a copper to her name). She hated asking for gold from the others, and wanted to be as self-sufficient as possible. When Sara sees that Myne is venturing out with her herb-gathering supplies, she hastily grabs her pack and joins her cousin. It is a peaceful stroll for the two of them, and they find many new herbs that Myne carefully packs away. When the sun finally sets, they make their way back to camp to see what the guys are up to.

They find the men lounging around the fire, with a haunch of deer meat inexpertly cooking over the fire. Bo quietly nibbles his squirrel jerky, and they spend a few moments staring into the embers and eating. Since Bo has no tent, he simply takes out his bedroll and makes himself comfortable next to the embers and falls asleep relatively early in the night. Tarian volunteers to take first watch, and the rest of the party slowly make their way to their tents.

Tarian sits on a stump and listens to the sounds of the night: the branches stirring in the breeze, small animals scurrying in the brush, and Rauros snoring loudly from outside Myne's tent. Suddenly he feels a tingling sensation on the tip of his left index finger, and then it begins to twitch violently. He can't find a reason for the sudden change, and he shakes his hand to try to work feeling back into it.

Bo's senses somehow jerk him into consciousness, and he opens his eyes to see Tarian shaking his hand, "What is wrong with your hand, Tarian?"

Still rubbing his finger, Tarian replies, "I'm not sure. It just feels strange all of a sudden."

Bo takes a step back when he sees that the tip of Tarian's finger has turned black and blue. Tarian feels the tip of his finger, and it is leathery to the touch.

In a low voice, Bo says, "We never should have gone to that village! We should cut off your finger before it spreads!"

Tarian tries to soothe the monk, "Now don't be hasty. May I remind you that we have a good healer in the group." Tarian rushes to find Myne in her tent, gently shaking her awake.

Quickly and quietly he says, "Myne...Myne. I need you to look at my finger...something is wrong with it."

Myne slowly rolls out of her tent muttering under her breath, her short hair a mass of fluff around her head, "Mmmm...wassup? It's the middle of the night…" When she sees Tarian's finger, she shakes off her sleepiness and examines it closely.

"Tarian...how do you think you received this injury?"

Tarian has no answer for her, merely shrugging his shoulders as she brings his finger close to her face for a minute examination. She tries to heal the bone and flesh in the affected area, but it does not change Tarian's condition. At the same time, it does not seem to spread any further.

While Tarian and Myne are working, Bo slips into Roth's tent to steal a weapon to sever Tarian's finger. He finds Roth's sword, and manages to unsheathe it and pull it out of the tent without Roth waking up.

When he returns to Tarian and Myne, and sees that she is not able to have any positive change in Tarian's condition, he brandishes the sword at Tarian, "Cut it off!"

Myne and Tarian try to soothe Bo again, this time by Myne saying, "Look, if this is not something I can heal, it might be a magical ailment. Maybe we can at least get Sara to tell if it is magic-"

As they are discussing this, Bo and Tarian hear a scurrying in the brush, and immediately turn to the sound. As their eyes strain to see in the darkness, they see a pair of gleaming eyes that gives them a moment of fear before the eyes materialize themselves into a raccoon that scurries out of the brush and runs away. As soon as the raccoon is gone, Bo turns his attention and new sword on Tarian again.

Myne rushes to Sara's tent and wakes her cousin as gently as possible, "Sara, love, we have a predicament. Tarian has done something to his finger, I need to know if it's magic or not. I can't make a change in it."

Sara also pulls herself out of her dreams with some small amount of mumbling.

When she sees Bo standing next to Tarian with a sword drawn, she steps in between the two men to diffuse the situation, "Bo, put the sword away. No one is going to be losing a finger this night."

Once Myne and Tarian relay the full events of the night, and Sara understands what is needed, she casts a quick spell to Detect Magic at Tarian's discolored finger.

She does sense the presence of magic, and her grey eyes pierce Tarian as she asks, "What have you been doing with your finger, or what magical items he had been messing around with to cause such an ailment?"

Tarian tries to make up a far-fetched and over the top story of how his finger came to have the discoloration, but Bo and Myne don't buy it, so he settles for the lame story that for just once was the truth: he had not recently been messing with anything; his finger just suddenly was afflicted.

The four of them had to figure out what to do for Tarian. His affliction did not seem to be worsening, but worry now crept into them that the plague affecting the village of Tera is also what Tarian is now suffering from. They were never given the details of what the symptoms of the plague were from the alchemist, so they had to entertain it as a possibility. On the off-chance that it might help, Myne pulls some of the lichen out of her pack and wraps it around Tarian's finger with a strip of cloth. Because of the swiftness with which the ailment took hold, and their lack of knowledge about what was wrong with him, they decide it best to make for Tera and the alchemist as quickly as possible, and that meant rousing Lo and Roth. Sara gently wakes them both, and explains the situation while Myne begins to saddle the horses.

Lo wonders out loud to himself if it is a natural ailment, and Tarian quietly murmurs to him, "I really hope it isn't like this because of the jar of the black ooze that's in my pack, or my encounter with the blood of the world."


	10. Beyond Kassen: 19th-23rd of Neth

**19th-20th of Neth:** **A Swift Journey to Tera**

The journey from the sunken temple back to Tera is quiet and swift. They only stop when the horses need to rest and graze, and for their own sakes when the rough ride in the wagon is too much for their bones. Tarian checks on his finger every now and then by unwrapping the bandage, and each time he finds no change in his finger: no worse, but no better either. Two days pass and they find themselves back in the familiar, eerie quiet of Tera. They stable the horses at the tavern and while Sara, Myne, and Tarian seek out John the alchemist; Lo, Roth and Bo make their way inside to seek out the barmaid for more information.

Sara and Myne lead Tarian through the village to find the alchemist at the home he was in five days prior. When he opens the door and sees Myne and Sara on the doorstep, he smiles hopefully at them, "Did you find it?"

Myne returns the smile, and retrieves a carefully wrapped cloth full of lichen from her pack, holding it out to him with pride, "We did, John. Please take it."

The alchemist is overjoyed to receive it, thanking them for their efforts. With hope in his voice he says, "I have every reason to think this will be the base of a cure for this plague."

Myne gestures to Tarian and continues, "We did run into a little bit of trouble. This is Tarian. He is one of our party members, and seems to have been suddenly afflicted with some kind of ailment that I cannot cure. Sara seems to think it magical in nature, but we don't know what to do for him. We hope he does not have the plague, but we don't know the symptoms…"

John looks seriously at Tarian as he ticks off a laundry list of symptoms on his fingers, "Well, there is a raw throat, chills, rash, hives, and blisters...what's wrong with him?"

They inform John of Tarian's condition, and he shows the alchemist his finger, and explains the onset of his symptoms.

John examines Tarian's finger closely and with immense curiosity before saying, "I'm willing to try to cure it, so let's meet at the Inn. I'll bring a portable kit to try to come up with a cure for Tarian. It's the least I can do."

Back at the Inn, they find Lo flirting with the barmaid. He seems 'genuinely' interested in what she likes to do in her time off, and she blushes as he compliments her on her skill at pouring a perfect mug of beer. The rest of the party gathers around a table, and it is not long before John arrives and joins them at the table. He opens his portable alchemy kit, and takes another look at Tarian's finger before he turns to his vials and begins to mix various liquids together.

He then turns around with a frothing beaker in his gloved hand, and proffers it to Tarian with a grin, "Here, drink this."

When the group gives him some raised eyebrows he continues, "It's a cure for poison and plague."

Tarian obediently drinks the potion, and he watches as the bruised look and numbness in his finger begins to recede. Eventually, he gets full feeling back in his finger, although it is still a bit off-color.

John sighs, "I think this is the best he can do for you. There are alchemists in Avalon that might be the next best place to try to completely cure you, and to possibly give some insight into what afflicted you in the first place since it was magical in nature."

As thanks for the lichen, John pulls a couple of potions of Cure Moderate Wounds out of his alchemy kit, hands them to Roth and Lo, and tells them, "If you are ever traveling through Gangai (in Kish to the south), seek me out. I may have other rewards to offer you when I return home."

The group is somewhat satisfied with the results of John's work (enough for Bo to retract his 'cut it off' tactic), and they decide to make a night of it at the Inn before starting off in the morning for Avalon. They now have several reasons to visit the magical city, and they knew they were not far from its gates.

 **21st-23rd of Neth:** **Two Forts in the Road**

 _ **The Flags of Ani**_

Bright and early the next morning the group saddles up the horses and head west on the Trail of the Magi. They make their way through a wide valley, with mountains rearing up on either side of the trail. They pass over a bridge that crosses a river, and as they reach the other side, they see the high stone walls of a fort, with flags waving in the wind.

The image on the flag is that of the great white bear of Ani, and as Lo admires the effect of the flag fluttering in the wind he says, "These forts are stationed around Ani and Solaris because back in time there were many wars fought between the two neighboring nations. Those days are in the past and the two nations are now allies, but I think these forts stay manned to this day." Lo cranes his neck to look up at the tops of the walls, and sees a couple of soldiers walking along the parapets.

As their wagon trundles along closer to the gates, the group sees that the doors are open, and two soldiers stand on guard outside. An idea occurs to Lo, and he hops off the cart as it pulls up next to the soldiers. Roth reins in the horses, and the rest of the group gives Lo questioning looks as he approaches the guards.

He gives off an aura of urgency as he announces to the guards, "I have important news for the Captain of the fort from Kish!" He turns and points to Tarian and continues, "This is the man that has the information, but he does not speak the language."

Lo starts speaking in draconic, telling a nonplussed Tarian (who understands draconic) to play along. Tarian nods and puffs out a bit to appear important and diplomatic.

The soldier takes the request seriously, nodding and ushering the two diplomats into the fort.

Sara rolls her eyes at the spectacle, but decides to let them play out whatever Lo had in mind, instead taking the opportunity to direct a question at one of the guards, "Pardon me. Is there any kind of vendor here that would be interested in buying any of weaponry or other equipment here?"

The soldier shakes her head and says, "Since the fort is mostly a formality now, we have weapons of our own, but no capacity or need to purchase anything more. Sorry miss."

All but Lo and Tarian find no reason to enter the fort, so the others wait by the cart as one of the guards escorts Lo and the 'diplomat' to the Captain's quarters.

As they walk, Lo and Tarian talk in draconic, with Lo enthusiastically saying, "This is a fantastic opportunity to get some information or goods that shouldn't be wasted. We can do this, we just have to act important and play the part." Lo then turns to the guard and says, "How do you like this assignment soldier?"

The soldier smiles companionably as he says, "This is a quiet assignment; probably the quietest I could have hoped for." He gestures around him as they pass soldiers playing cards at makeshift tables, and at their ease while manning their posts.

When they reach the Captain of the Guard, Tarian takes a short bow and then says something nonsensical in draconic, which Lo 'translates' for him as, "We need your finest metal to bring back to Kish!"

The Captain seems taken aback as he says, "Kish is known for being rather wealthy due to the spice trades...I'm a bit surprised that they need anything from us…"

As they talk, Tarian looks around the room for anything of value, but unfortunately finds nothing but some paperwork.

Knowing enough about Kish, Lo ups the ante by saying with urgency, "But the Al Querin, those ruthless bandits of the desert, and their heartless leader are rising up from the desert in numbers that we are not prepared for! We need reinforcements!"

The Captain seems convinced of their 'need' and motions to the guard, "Take them to the armory, give them a few of our supplies; we have little need for the weapons anyway, and Kish was an ally that we are happy to aid."

Lo nods importantly, and before they can be led out by the guard asks, "Have you seen any others traveling through, specifically a young knight or a small army?"

The Captain shakes his head, "No, no one like that...but there was a black-hooded fellow with a mask that was asking around about a group of travelers, and he headed towards Solaris."

With that, Lo and Tarian are led to the armory, where Lo and Tarian are given 5 short swords, 4 bows, 3 vests of leather armor, and 2 bucklers.

While Lo and Tarian are inside looting the fort, Roth, Myne, Sara, and Bo quietly relax in the wagon, watching the iron grey clouds of the coming winter slide by. Roth recognizes a rather rare bird in flight above them, and points it out to Myne. It triggers a short game of 'Who Can Name the Most Birds That Fly By?' between them when it occurs to Myne to take the opportunity to talk to the normally silent and somewhat aloof elf.

During a quiet break in the game, she hesitantly says, "Roth...you're from the elven territory far to the east, right? What's it like? I've never left Kassen before now, and I hope to someday visit…"

He gives her a slight smile, and takes a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts as though the question had taken him off-guard. He nods at Myne as warmly as he can muster, despite looking flustered and tongue-tied. He had immediately felt a bond with the druid when they met in the woods the night before the trial, and the feeling had only grown with their days spent together. Now, the thought of being the one to take her to see his home in Therennore, the elven capital, brings new thoughts of companionship, and the sharing of something that he loves with someone else. For now, he could settle for describing the country of the elves far to the east: Celahir Lossehelim, and his family's home in Therennore.

He starts by gesturing up to the fort with some disdain as he says, "See that up there? It's made by humans who rip and tear at the earth, toppling trees, hauling stone from far away quarries and then building on top of the cleared area. Seemingly, humans know no better, but it pains me to see these structures...and their cities are even worse: jumbled messes of clay and splinters of wood piled into a giant heap smoking with chimney fires and reeking of waste. Now, close your eyes, and in your mind, travel far to the southeast from Kassen, just inland of the eastern coast of Stora. Imagine huge, broad-leaved trees, taller and thicker than these towers. The broad star-shaped leaves of these great trees create a canopy that is hundreds of feet from the forest floor. These great giants are one of the few things that can outlive the elves; the thought of destroying one is unheard of... we live with them, and among them. Our homes are cradled by the great branches, plank bridges are suspended between the trees to connect us to one another. The capital city of Therennore has the largest and oldest of the great trees, and our homes, shops, and community buildings are spread on different levels of the great trees, with spiral ladders connecting different levels, and suspension bridges connecting to different trees. It is beautiful...and though I left home for my calling as a ranger, memories of my home in Therennore will always keep me centered on why I am out here.

"I am not a great orator like my father...he's an ambassador for our people...and I tried to follow in his footsteps for many years. It just did not fit me, and luckily my parents supported my decision to train with the rangers. We protect our borders; hunt down those that destroy. When I finished training, I decided that I wanted to see more of Nordost, learn from it, and possibly find a small town with like-minded people. To be honest, I was not completely sure what I was looking for."

Here, Roth gives a grin as he says, "After trekking southwest, avoiding the Oneindige Mountains and most of the Isidorian hostility, I headed northwest through the Registana Mountains, following the Pixie Trail. When I was in the nation of Ani, I went off the trail and into the Fangwood Forest...it is beautiful, though the trees are different, as I would expect for being so much farther north than my homeland. The forest smells of the pines, the creatures are hardy, and the forest stretches for miles with a floor of needles, and rocks covered in lichen. And then...I found Kassen."

Myne smiles at his description of Celahir Lossehelim and his travels to reach Kassen. She says, "It sounds like you have had quite the adventure already...you have been almost all the way across the continent! And Celahir Lossehelim sounds beautiful…" Myne lets out a dreamy sigh at the thought of visiting the elven territory. Then a thought occurs to her, and she continues hesitantly, "I think I know the answer to this, but I will ask it anyway...was this your first visit to Kassen? Or, do you know of any other elves that have traveled to Kassen in the past?"

Roth looks slightly confused at the question, but answers her, shaking his head as he says, "This was my first trek after reaching adulthood, and I...I'm sorry but I don't know of any elf that would have tread that path. During training, there were rangers that told me about the Fangwood Forest in Ani...but not anything about Kassen."

Myne is crestfallen by the answer, although she also appears to have been expecting it. She recovers quickly, saying, "Thank you Roth...someday I hope to see your homeland. It is half of my heritage as well, and I admit to feeling a pull to it...to know that piece."

Roth gives her another smile, and says, "You are welcome."

As Roth finishes speaking, he looks up to the fort's entrance as if he had caught movement out of the corner of his eye. He sees Lo and Tarian at the gate loaded down with their gear for the great land of Kish. The group shakes their heads in unison at the pair as they maneuver all the gear towards the cart, and with some exasperation help them into the cart so they could leave. They bid the guards farewell, and continue west. As they leave, they can see the guards pointing and shouting that they seem to be heading in the wrong direction…. Kish is to the southeast.

 _ **The Flags of Solaris**_

After about two hours on the road, they see more flags fluttering in the wind with the mark of Solaris upon them. Lo explains to the group that Solaris is not a kingdom, but a military-controlled region. Avalon is within its borders, but it has its own governing powers. They ride alongside the entrance to the fort, and see more guards on duty. The fort is slightly bigger and better maintained than the Anian counterpart, but they decide to talk to the guards to see if they can learn anything about recent activity on the trail.

One of the guards says, "Welcome to Solaris. Now that you mention activity, there was a human-sized figure cloaked in black seeking out a group of elves, and although his face was covered, I know it was a man by his voice. He was certainly strange…"

Lo smiles at the information and says, "Thank you for the information! By the way, the soldiers over at the Anian fort were talking smack about the Solaris guards!"

The Solarian guard cheerily says, "Well we will let those Anian soldiers have it at our next flag football match!"

Tarian takes the opportunity to check on his finger, unwrapping the bandage with care and hope, but finds it to be just the same as it was when they set off from Tera: healed but discolored.

 _ **The Tower of Avalon**_

They continue on the Trail of the Magi for another day and a half, following a river on their left. In the distance, they start to see something peeking over the horizon, and it appears to be some kind of man-made structure. They come to a split in the road, and a sign indicates that to the left is the Temple of Nethys, and forward is Avalon, Cose, and Ano Liosia. Lo knows that Cose is a town larger than Kassen, and Ano Liosia is the capital of Solaris: the largest city on the west coast. Despite a slight interest in seeking out the temple of the goddess Nethys, they decide to make their way down the Trail of the Magi to reach Avalon as soon as possible. They knew they could always visit the great temple on their way out of the city. The building they saw in the distance begins to take a more defined form, and they see that it is a slim tower standing tall over the rest Avalon. The river they are following empties into a lake that spreads out before them, and they take in the view as they see Avalon itself built upon an island in the middle of the great lake. A beautiful white bridge extends from the lake's shore to the gates of the city, and as they look up at the tower once more, they see something shimmer in the sun at its pinnacle, crystalline in shape.


	11. Beyond Kassen: 23rd of Neth

**23rd of Neth: The Great City of Avalon**

 _ **Gaining Entry to the Magical City**_

The group continue to follow the river, making their way to the bridge with their eyes shining from the sheer brilliance of the huge crystal set in place at the top of the obelisk. As they approach it, they see a beautifully ornate golden gate with two guards at the entrance. They are well-dressed with shining armor, two wings on their helmets, and carrying ornate halberds.

Lo approaches first, rather taken with the guards' appearances, and says, "Ho there. We are seeking entrance to Avalon. You two seem to be blocking the entrance...rather sexily I might add."

The guards shift and blush at Lo's open flirtation, but keep their post and seriousness, "I'm sorry sirs and misses, but only those offered entrance can access the city. You must, in essence, be invited. You do have the ability to request access from a resident, or if you yourselves have magical abilities that can be proven, or if you were Knights of the Solar. We shall summon someone to discuss your entry." The guard makes a signal, motioning across the bridge for someone.

Having no magical talents himself, Tarian tries to appeal to the guards, "We are seeking magical aid in Avalon. We have traveled far to reach this place in the hopes of finding a cure. Also, I am quite curious about the crystal on top of the tower...what is its origin?"

"We cannot give you an answer for the crystal, it is not our place to discuss matters of the city. If you are granted access, your questions may be answered by someone within the city."

The group watches as a figure walks across the bridge with parchment and a quill in his hand. The bridge is long, which makes the figure's approach slow, and Lo takes the opportunity to live up to his full potential as a flirt by admiring the figures of the guards, rubbing their shiny breastplates (the group now knows that at least he's not gender-specific with his affections) while giving them his best come-hither smile.

The figure that finally materializes at the gate is a thin, young man wearing robes that nervously says, "Good...good afternoon to you all. I...I am apprentice wizard Lansing Comstock, here to see about your entry to our city."

He holds out his quill and parchment as tokens or proof of his duty to inspect and test all entrants to the city of Avalon.

With that, he turns to Tarian while resting his quill over his parchment, "I would ask for proof your magical ability. We'll start with you."

Tarian pulls off a wonderful coin trick that has Lansing feverishly scratching notes on his parchment, and he declares Tarian fit to enter the city.

He then looks to Myne, who shyly points out the bear following her every command, at which he stammers, "Ah...ah...druidic abilities...gah, please keep the bear at a safe distance! You may enter."

Next the young wizard turns to Lo, who pulls his attention away from his guard stroking, summons his lute out of thin air and begins to play.

Lansing claps excitedly and says, "Oh pretty bard! You may enter."

Then he turns to Sara, who had apparently not been impressed with the apprentice. She rolls her eyes at the wizard, and then lights his quill on fire with a wave of her hand.

The apprentice drops the quill from his hand with a squeal and nervously exclaims, "...I….I keep a spare in my robes…" which he triumphantly produces after carefully smudging out a bit of fire on his hat. He checks Sara off his list and carefully moves away from her as he asks Bo about his abilities.

Bo does a trick to make a piece of squirrel jerky appear and disappear from his hands, which makes the apprentice smile with approval, granting Bo's entry. Lastly, he turns to Roth expectantly with the tip of his quill poised on his parchment. The elf had been silent and almost surly as the others had been put through their paces, standing resolutely next to Myne.

As the youth turns to him, he crosses his arms and says, "I have no magical abilities, but I am here with the druid." Myne smiles at the ranger, reaching out to companionably hold his shoulder.

To this statement, Lansing nods and checks him off the list, saying, "Anyone can enter as the companion of someone with magical abilities."

Roth gives a small bow in thanks before the wizard makes his way to the front of the gate to lead them across the bridge. They stable the horses and cart at a small station outside the city walls, and follow Lansing out onto the bridge.

The long walk across the bridge gives the group time to ask Lansing about Avalon, and Tarian asks, "Where in the city would it be appropriate to get help with a magical affliction? I am also curious about the crystal on top of the tower as well."

Lansing responds, "Any of the learned magical leaders of the city would know about the crystal; Bethara the Summoner, the Grand Wizard Bernard Ismel, the High Sorceress Marial Goldenstar, etc, but they are very powerful and very busy as well. There are numerous libraries, archives, and apothecaries as other fountains of knowledge and power. For your affliction, it would be wise to visit any of the magical temples in the city."

Lo asks, "Have you granted access to or seen anyone wearing a black mask and robes?"

Lansing shakes his head and says, "No sir. No one like that has come to this city."

Sara asks, "We have much to sell, some magical in nature, such as a spellbook. Is there a merchant that would be interested in buying such items?"

"Any of the shops or schools of magical arts would be interested in the book, depending on what it contains."

As they step off the bridge inside the city, they see that it is very well kept with smooth stone buildings, paved cobblestone roads, and many natural elements that have been carefully placed and preened.

The villagers they see are well-dressed in vibrant colored robes, and they overhear a conversation between two magical-looking figures saying, "...why are we using Solar Knights as protection for Avalon, we should be using their own guards, to be specific, the Eldritch Knights…"

The atmosphere is pristine, almost snooty, and the Tarian realizes that a night at a fine inn within Avalon may prove too much for their pockets, "Where would we find an inn to stay the night at a reasonable rate?"

"The Dancing Broom is quite reasonable. We cannot expect everyone of magical talents to automatically be wealthy as well, now can we?" He points it out to them as they step onto the main street. It was ideally located to take in travelers just as they step into the city.

Tarian thanks Lansing for the information and the welcome into the town, and Lansing takes his leave. The group is left standing in the middle of the beautiful town, feeling a little out of place with their rough appearance from days on the road. With the information and power of the city at their disposal, they decide to meet at the Dancing Broom for dinner, and split into groups to accomplish the things that interest them most.

 _ **Bo: Researching Monasteries & Combat in the Library**_

Bo splits from the group without a word, and makes his way to one of the larger libraries in the town. As he enters the large hall, he sees thick leather-bound tomes on chains that line hundreds of shelves that reach the ceiling. He searches for a librarian to help him, and finds one using a Ghost Hand to shelve books. He asks the librarian for a section on the history of monasteries in Luna, and the librarian fiddles for a large reference resource where she tells him that the only monastery in that area is in the village of Yucanya. She takes Bo to that section, and he quietly thanks her for her assistance, pulls a large book off the shelf that looks promising, and finds a place to sit and bury himself within it.

Bo is ever-curious about Luna. It held mysteries yet answered for him, and though he had spent the last fifteen years of his life in Yucanya studying at the monastery's Order of Yi Jun Li, it was not where he was from. A wandering monk had found him as a young child, alone in the forest covered in mud and smelling of blood. He also had a strange tattoo on the palm of his right hand. He was over one hundred miles from the nearest village, and though the monk searched for possible family, none could be found. It was Yucanya's policy that all orphans would be cared for by the monastery, and learn the ways of the Iron Palm under the Order. The Order had cared for him, and the mountaintop monastery had been his saving grace. Yet Luna was just the place he had been trained, he had no idea where he was originally from, who his parents were, or what he was meant to do in life.

Bo grins as he remembers how quickly he rose through the ranks; he was insatiable in his tutelage, and consequently was sent out on his spiritual journey long before others of his age would have been allowed. He had to assume it was because he could never decide on a philosophy, and would often get into heated arguments with the other monks...perhaps they were happy to be rid of his questioning. His journey was supposed to give him an epiphany, tell him which philosophy to devote his life to...he still had yet to pick. He could recite the philosophies from memory:

 _The Vow of Yi_

 _Be strong for those who are weak_

 _Be righteous for those who are corrupted_

 _Be kind for those who are abused_

 _Gain power so that you might protect_

 _Gain knowledge so that you might learn_

 _Gain wealth so that you might share_

 _The Vow of Jun_

 _Balance in all things_

 _Survival at any cost_

 _Conquer emotion so that it does not conquer you_

 _Gain power so that you might correct_

 _Gain knowledge so that you might teach_

 _Gain wealth required to maintain order_

 _The Vow of Li_

 _There is no truth but power_

 _Might makes right_

 _Destroy your heart, it will betray you_

 _Gain power so that you might dominate_

 _Gain knowledge so that you might control_

 _Gain wealth so that you may rule_

Bo did not know what his guiding philosophy would be...his curiosity was all that drove him and there was no room for anything else. He had left the monastery with just the pack on his back, and made his way across the island of Luna to the port city of Lucida. The city was like nothing he could have imagined, and he lived the life of a street urchin for some weeks. The other religions fascinated him, and he also found out about the strange Starstone crystals. They captured his attention, and he wanted to know more about their origin, and how they worked. They were related to magic, and it was a power that was beyond his comprehension, to the point where he refused to imbibe magic potions...they made him nervous. In some ways, the best way to find out more was to study them up close, and he found out that Avalon held one of the largest Starstone pieces in Nordost. He had boarded a ship bound for the port town of Platja in Meropis; the shortest ship ride to Stora that he could find, and then began to make his way northwest on foot. He ended up in Kassen almost by fate it would seem, and sure enough, by aiding some of the village's youth he manages to catch a ride to Avalon. There was something much larger happening, and he knew the crystals were at the heart of it all. He just had to hope that there would be some glimmer of history that might reveal it to him, and perhaps even reveal the part he was to play in it.

As the hours pass, he gets his fill of history, and then moves on to the ways to combat magic, since the ethereal whip he had witnessed in action at the hand of the masked Namia in Kassen set him on edge. He did not want to be caught off guard by something like that, and was willing to invest the time to research ways to combat it. More hours pass, and he turns his attention to non-magical combat and wartime strategy, just for the fun of it.

 _ **Lo & Tarian: Getting Kicked out of a Temple**_

Tarian decides that the best course of action for his magical affliction is to seek out the temple to Sarenrae, the goddess of healing and the sun. They make their way through the streets to her temple: a golden statuette adorns the temple door, there are many windows letting in the natural light, and much of the temple is open to the air outside. The priests within carry scimitars with golden hilts and wear robes of white, red, and gold.

Lo and Tarian step up to the main altar, and talk to one of the priests, "I am looking for aid in the healing of a magical wound. I seek your help."

The priest directs Tarian to hold out his finger, "The divine light of Sarenrae will cure you, as surely as the sun rises with each new day." The priest casts Channel Energy, and a ray of sunlight bursts forth, bathing his finger in golden light, which then slowly fades away.

Tarian looks at his finger, but sees no change from before.

The priest is puzzled, "This must be a strong ailment, or perhaps it is a curse. I wonder if it is a hex...Sir, have you come into contact with anything that might be cursed, such as your equipment, or have you consumed anything that could be hexed?"

The priest then gets nervous as he senses something about Tarian that is not quite right, "...Did you bring the cursed object into the temple? I demand to see the object! Follow me." The priest ushers Tarian and Lo into a back room, urging Tarian to reveal the object.

Tarian produces the jar of black ooze, and the priest shudders and shouts out to Tarian, "Destroy it as soon as possible! You two must leave, now!"

With that, he quickly ushers the two men out of the temple and onto the street.

Tarian turns to Lo, "I have no intention of destroying it, but we might be able to get some money for it if they find the right kind of buyer."

 _ **Sara, Roth, & Myne: The History of the Starstone and Their Powers**_

As the other three men leave the party, Sara's first thought is to sell the magical book. She wants it off her hands, and the gold that she is hoping to receive in return for it would mean their survival as the group travels further and further from the world they know. Being in a magical city, they find magical shops a-plenty, and as she, Roth, and Myne wander down the main street they soon find a magical bookshop with an eager buyer who hands Sara 200 gold pieces for the book.

With the book disposed of relatively quickly, the girls focus on their main reason for being in Avalon: to seek out guidance for their magical abilities. They decide to seek out an arcane college to speak to wielders of magic. They find the beautiful marble building with the mark of Nethys above the doorway. It has an expansive garden space outlining a palace-like building in the center. There are words from the Book of Magic inscribed on the walls, and the whole college has the feel of a sanctuary. As they walk along, looking for an important-enough mage to speak to, they see a group of several mages in a heated conversation that quietly disperse as they approach.

One elderly mage seems to take an interest in them though, and he slowly strolls towards them, "Ah, visitors. What kind of assistance can I be for you?"

Sara explains, "We have come from a small town, and we are looking for guidance or help in using our powers."

"What village do you hail from, if I may ask? We are always curious to see where magic reveals itself in this land."

Sara supplies, "Kassen, sir. There are at least four of us in the village with magic. My cousin here, and two of our companions that are not with us at the moment."

The name seems to spark something in the old man, and he recalls to them the small, quaint village that he passed through when taking in the natural environment of the area.

He gives an appraising look at each of the girls, and asks about their abilities. When Sara explains hers, the sorcerer reveals that she is a sorceress, which means her magic is in her blood. The line of magic is in her family tree, but that sometimes it can skip a generation. There is a great and powerful being in her bloodline, and she has inherited its powers. When Myne explains her powers, he reveals her abilities have been given to her by the Divine. She is a druid, blessed by one of the gods to channel its power of nature and the environment through her. When the sorcerer learns that the girls are cousins through their mothers, he immediately knows that Sara's powerful bloodline is through her father, since her cousin does not exhibit the same power. The girls give details about Alex and Lo as well: a young bard with powers beyond the simple allure of music, and a paladin possessing the holy powers of Iomedae.

The old sorcerer is curious to see so many young ones exhibiting power from this one small village, "Is there a Starstone crystal in Kassen? Actually, it may not have gone too far from you…"

When the three give the sorcerer a puzzled look, he explains, "These crystals act as a beacon; a method for amplifying magical abilities."

He gestures out the window as he says, "The crystal sitting atop the tower in Avalon is one of the largest crystals ever found, and those within the proximity of its power have their inner magical abilities amplified. The power emanating from the crystal in Avalon covers the radius of the city and tens to maybe even one hundred miles away from it. The crystals are much sought after, and most are small shards or fragments of what was the Starstone."

When the three still looked puzzled but interested, the sorcerer guides them to the archives room where he explains the history of the Starstone.

The sorcerer takes a deep breath once they are comfortable and says, "Thousands of years ago there existed a highly advanced and magical people, the Azlanti. From their land of Azlant they built a powerful society, full of wonders, ancient magic, and wealth. The Azlanti society was absolute during that time, for any other civilization that would rise to power, would either be quickly extinguished, or forced to assimilate into the Azlanti culture. The Azlanti way of thought was that they were of a superior blood than all others, and that their culture, their people were the children of the Gods, destined to rule and look over the world of Golarion.

"During a time where Azlant was unmatched in power, many of their resources were devoted to the study of magic and natural world. They searched the globe for the unique and strange, dug deep, looking for mysteries. For the Azlanti they were at the height of their power, but all this would suddenly come crashing down. In the age of Azlant there were two moons that graced the sky. One being the moon we still see in the night sky to this day. The other a great crystalline sphere that brought a shimmering brilliance to the world below, called the Starstone It was this second moon, Starstone, that ended the Azlanti rule over Golarion. The day this moon plunged out of the sky was the day the first Astra Era would come to an end. Starfall as it has come to be called by the scholars of our time, plummeted the world into the 1st Umbra Era. An age of darkness and turmoil. It was during this time that many of the Elvish folk left Golarion, and Dwarves and Orcs emerged from their cities hidden deep underground.

"The first Umbra Era lasted for almost a thousand years, until a glimmer of light lead the peoples of Golarion from the darkness. This light came in the form of a man, the last of the Azlanti, and the living god, Aroden! Aroden brought the people together, creating a beacon of civilization within the Inner Sea, this beacon became the city of Absalom. Within Absalom, Aroden rose the Starstone to the heart of the city and established the Starstone Cathedral and Ascendant Court. The birth of Absalom and the rise of civilization around the Inner Sea would be the marker for the beginning of the 2nd Astra Era. An era that would last for thousands of years…But as all things do… it too passed...

"The day came that news spread of Aroden's death. Whispers through the Inner Sea spoke of dark times to come, the passing being an omen for the beginning of the 2nd Umbra Era. They were not wrong, for the day before Absalom was to hold the 115th anniversary memorial service for its living god's passing, a mysterious and cataclysmic event took place. A mighty blast rocked the Inner Sea, shattering the Starstone into thousands of pieces that were flung to all corners of Golarion. The island and city of Absalom were completely destroyed, and a great wave tore through the coastal cities nearby. Many lives were lost this day; in Absalom no one survived. The ripple from this event would darken the world once again, the 2nd Umbra Era had come. The coastal cities of the Inner Sea had been wiped off the map, outside of the Inner Sea in the Arcadian Ocean a great storm (The Eye of Abendego) raged; blight, disease, and famine spread. For the next few hundred years the people of this region held on, hoping for the darkness to again subside.

"In time, the Eye of Abendego would calm, and ships would leave the shores of the Inner Sea. It was the bravest of sailors who would eventually come across a new continent west of the Inner Sea. A land largely untouched and full of possibilities. This land came to be Nordost and its settling would mark the beginning of the 3rd Astra Era, and the present day.

"And then there is this small band from Kassen. You must have been raised in the presence of a piece of the Starstone, and since you did not experience any loss of your powers as you went further away from their village, it is likely that the shard is traveling with you. It may be a small shard, since even a hand-sized fragment would be enough to amplify the magical abilities of those that have been favored by the gods for a couple miles within its radius."

After this rather curious revelation, the three thank the sorcerer for his time, and leave the arcane college behind. They walk the streets in animated discussion over the presence of a crystal shard, and how it might be concealed either knowingly or not among their traveling party. When they conclude that they will have to wait until they are all back together again to get any answers, Myne's thoughts turn to the revelation about the source of their powers. She had always thought that since both she and her cousin had magical powers that it must be through their mothers' shared bloodline, and that had given her a sense of security and belonging to be able to make a family connection despite being a bastard. With that connection severed, her curiosity for her cousin's magical bloodline was piqued, and she wanted to know more about her uncle's family. When Sara confesses that she did not know much of anything about her father's bloodline, Myne immediately suggests finding someone in the town that would be an expert in tracing family lines to find the source of her magical powers.

 _ **Lo & Tarian: Blue Eyebrows and Big Money**_

With Tarian's finger no worse and no better than before, their next course of action was to sell the stuff that might have caused the trouble in the first place. Their logical conclusion is the highest-level alchemist who would entertain an audience with them. By asking around, they are given the name and shop location of a gnome named Fullwinkle Bobnip.

When they enter his laboratory, they are greeted with a haze of fumes, and they could see various potions and beakers on counters with a maze of tubing protruding from them. As they take in the atmosphere, Lo feels a tugging at his pant leg, and when he looks down, he sees a gnome wearing big goggles and sporting a violently purple beard with his hair slicked straight back.

He proffers a flask to Lo and says, "Here, taste this…. I don't know what it does."

Lo gives a shrug and tips back the flask. The liquid inside tastes like iron and lilacs, with a bitter aftertaste. The gnome claps excitedly and declares the experiment a success: Lo's eyebrows turned cobalt blue.

Tarian asks if the gnome standing before (or below) them was the master and genius alchemist Fullwinkle Bobnip.

When the gnome owns to the name, Tarian gives the gnome his sales pitch, "I have a bottle of a rare and dangerous substance that you might be interested in purchasing, if you care to take a look at it."

The gnome seems excited by the proposition, and asks, "Oooh, I like dangerous. What is it, and what does it do?"

When Tarian can give no answer to the question, other than to say that the clerics declared it to be pure evil, the gnome seems even more curious about the substance. Tarian continues to push the sale, "It is definitely dangerous, but it could also be useful…"

Fullwinkle decides the best thing to do is to test it on a rat. As the gnome finds his pet rat Steven, Tarian also warns Fullwinkle that it _could_ cause paralysis (possibly knowledge from experience). As the gnome dribbles some of the substance into the rat's mouth, he watches on tenterhooks for a reaction. The rat twitches its whiskers, shakes, and falls over on its side. A couple moments later, Steve pops back up onto his paws as if nothing had happened.

The gnome seems excited and satisfied with these test results, and with barely a second thought, offers Tarian 2,000 gold pieces for the bottle. Tarian accepts, and the gnome adds that if they find out more about where it came from, that he would pay more for it. Tarian also decides to purchase a nice crystal vial while in the gnome's laboratory for 10 gold, and they leave the laboratory for the refreshing and well-ventilated city streets. Satisfied with their intake for the day, they wander back to the inn to enjoy all the things that money can buy.

 _ **Sara, Roth, & Myne: Family History**_

The trio make their way to a genealogist named Neil Harris, whose practice is in a small building lined with large leather-bound books and maps. Nestled in between a wall of books is a desk, and at the desk sits Neil: an elf with long dark hair braided into a ponytail, sporting mutton chops and small wire-rimmed glasses. When Sara explains that they are seeking more information about her father's bloodline, the elf seems interested in taking on her request, but that it would take time to work out. He asks for as much information as he can from Sara, especially names, surnames, locations, and occupations of the family line she wanted to know more about. With that information recorded, he explains that it is always exciting to document the bloodlines of the magical families, and being able to record Sara as part of his extensive family trees was an honor. He tells her that he will look into it, but to give him a day or two to do his research. When they step out of the genealogist's small library, they see that the sun is beginning to set on Avalon. They make their way back to the inn for dinner, and to see what the others have been up to as well. They are most anxious to also reveal what they learned during their history lesson with the sorcerer.

 _ **Bo: Breaking, Entering, and Getting Electrocuted**_

Bo looks out one of the windows from the library, and sees that the day is finally coming to an end. He picks up his books and places them on a nearby cart. He approaches one of the librarians and asks for a piece of charcoal and paper, which the librarian obliges him with. He steps out into the dusk as the lamps are being lit around the city, and he makes his way to the tower. He tries to sneak his way to the base of the tower, but a guard notices him, and he slips away to find another path. He strolls to the back of the tower, and approaches the base. He tries to climb it, but finds that he can't get a grip on the smooth surface. The tower is an obelisk shape, and made of a rough but solid stone; the face of which has no joints or fissures. He sees that about two stories up there is a window, so he makes his way to a nearby building and scales it. From the rooftop, he makes a fantastic jump to the window, and he manages to catch the bottom ledge. He pulls himself up onto the ledge, and with a bit of force, he bends the latch on the window and pulls it open. He makes only the slightest of noises, and no one seems to overhear it.

When he climbs inside, he sees that he is in a lounge area with a plush rug on the floor and a fireplace. Night has fallen, but the faint light still available is enough for him to see that there is a door on the other side of the room. Bo cracks it open, and sees a hallway beyond with a closed door on the left and a staircase spiraling up to the left, and down to the right. He ascends the stairs silently, finding a couple more landings before coming to a dead end. He assumes he is at the top, or near to it, and he sees one room on the left, and the door is locked; there were no windows in this hallway either. He decides to try to kick the door, and he puts his foot through the wood with a powerful kick, but as he does so, he receives an electric shock that knocks him to the floor. When he gets back to his feet, he sees that the hole he kicked in the door also broke it open. He enters the room, and finds locked bookshelves lining the walls. In the center of the room he sees a pedestal with a crown setting on it under a glass globe. He also sees a window on one side of the wall. He immediately goes to it, and as he tries to break the window open, he receives another violent shock. Since the first shock had taken such a toll, this one does more than just knock him to the floor: by the time his head hits the soft carpet, he is already knocked unconscious.

 _ **The Starstone Shard Revealed**_

Back at the Dancing Broom, all but Bo have seated themselves at a booth in the tavern to discuss their day. The group wonders about Bo's absence, but because the monk is such a solitary person, they assume that he is still attending to his own matters.

Sara and Roth explain their history lesson, and say to Tarian and Lo, "Do you two know anything about a crystal? The sorcerer says it must not have gone far, considering we still have our powers."

When Lo and Tarian both claim to not know anything about it, Roth presses them, "Look, it must be traveling with us, and we know nothing about it. Come clean."

Lo and Tarian begin arguing in draconic about whether to tell them about the crystal, and it raises the others' suspicions even more. Giving in at their suspicious glares, Lo produces the Starstone shard from the leather pouch at his belt with a flourish, and the group gasps as one.

Myne immediately screams, "Lo, put it away! You could attract unwanted attention!" (She also attracted attention of her own with her unintentional pun).

The group now know that they are carrying a very precious artifact, and that because of its presence, they are granted their abilities.

 _ **Lo & Tarian: Not a Care**_

While the rest of the group make their way up to the Inn's rooms to sleep, Tarian and Lo decide to hang out in the tavern to spend a few more coins on drinks. They both give their waitress ingratiating grins as she sets down two fresh pints for them, curtsies, and takes her leave. Lo and Tarian give themselves a clink of their glasses, and tip them back to savor the foamy beverage. Tarian leans back in the booth, making himself comfortable and sighing contentedly.

He grins at Lo and says, "That was quite the display you made in front of the others...you had everyone gasping! I'll be upfront with you, I knew you were holding the crystal since I saw the priest give it to you in Kassen before we got obliterated, courtesy of the village's beer supply. But did you know that it held these powers?"

Lo also leans back to get comfortable, and is not surprised that the rogue had known he was in possession of a crystal. He shrugs his shoulders, and says, "I did not know it had powers...but I know now why Father Prast gave it to me. He needed to get it out of the village, away from _Blackheart_ and his gods-damned cronies."

Tarian catches the edge in Lo's voice, noting that he is not the first to have some kind of deep-seeded hatred for their lord. Even for the normally easy-going bard, the subject had him on edge.

Lo takes another swig of his beer and continues, "There is little in life that pisses me off, I just don't care enough...but a good way to get under my skin is to wreck shit for political or religious reasons. When we escaped Kassen, those damned masked guys, the half-orc bastards, and the freaking infantry had destroyed part of the town and some of the villagers...for what?"

Tarian nods an understanding, and says, "I assume you refer to the half-orcs that you purchased information about?"

Lo takes another swig of beer to keep his cool and says, "Tarian, I was nine when those bastards killed my parents over _religion_. I can call them, and anyone else that thinks they can just walk in and destroy shit, whatever I want. Who the fuck cares if you worship Erastil or Gorum? And in this case my parents' blind devotion and peaceful ways lead to their deaths at the hands of Gorum-worshipping jerks claiming their way was the only right way."

Tarian fills in the blank as Lo takes another swig of beer, "So they killed your parents...and then enter Lord _Blackheart,_ as you call him, who pardons them of the crime. I still think he was into something with them...it was political I think. I don't know why they would target your parents though...not if they were in Kassen for other reasons."

Lo looks at Tarian and says, "You think my parents were killed for some other reason?"

Tarian shrugs his shoulders and says, "I don't know...we know now that my suspicions of Lord Blackheart's treachery to his own village were on target...and this masked organization was working with him...they wanted that Starstone shard. What of the half-orcs though, they were not under Blackheart, but involved…perhaps they are working with the Organization as envoys."

Lo looks at Tarian for a moment before saying, "I loved my parents, dad was strict, wanted me to learn to be a hunter...mom was beautiful, and thanks to her father I have my love of music. It matters not how they were taken from me, I no longer have them. I suppose I should thank the half-orcs for the amount of time it has given me to hone my skills in music. Dad would have had me out hunting instead of lounging in the woods. Less time enjoying the company of others in bed too. One thing about being caught up in all this masked Organization crap is reassuring: one of those half-orc bastards is already dead thanks to the hot-blooded sorceress. One more to go; I hope I get the pleasure of slitting his throat myself."

Lo raises his glass, and gives Tarian's glass another * _clink_ * in cheers.

Tarian smiles at Lo as he watches the bard's slender face ease back into its normal easy-going grin and asks, "Worth all this work then, huh?"

Lo eyes the beautiful barmaid that sets down another frothing mug of ale in front of him with a wink, and replies, "Oh why not? Kassen was getting a bit too small for me anyway."


	12. Beyond Kassen: 24th of Neth

**24th of Neth:** **An Early Morning Carriage Ride**

 _ **A Rousing from the Dancing Broom**_

In the early hours of morning, when it is so early that the lanterns are still lit, Avalon is silent. The group has retired to their respective rooms, courtesy of Roth's pockets. Through the silence of the darkness comes the slight creaking of footsteps upon wooden stairs. Tarian and Myne, being light sleepers, are both set on alert by the noise just a step outside their rooms. Tarian springs from his bed and slinks behind the door, while Myne rolls off the bed in an attempt to find a hiding place underneath. Dark shapes move into the rooms of all the adventurers, and Lo and Sara are rudely pulled into the land of the awake when they are forced into manacles by gruff-looking soldiers. They have just enough lamplight from outside to see that the guard is wearing chainmail, a helmet, and a tabard bearing a yellow sun: guards of Solaris. Roth's reflexes are such that when the guards in his room attempt to manacle his hands, he wakes, maneuvers out of the guard's grasp, and makes a roll to stand up and away from the guard. Myne's attempt to hide under the bed is met with failure, since there were drawers under the bed instead an empty space, and she is quickly nabbed and thrown into shackles like Lo and Sara.

Tarian is greeted by a blade being stuck through the door and into the wall just inches from where he is hiding, and the guard shouts for him to come out with his hands up. Tarian makes a dash for the window, misses another swing from the guard's sword, jumps out the window, and then makes a tumble to safely land on the ground one floor down. When he stands up, he sees that he is in the presence of a wagon with more guards around it. He quickly points up to the window, and exclaims that he just narrowly escaped the horrible people going crazy upstairs. The Captain and guards look confused, but step forward and bravely tells this citizen that they would protect him. As nonchalantly as possible, Tarian moves into the shadows of an alleyway to watch the progress as the guards rush the inn.

After tumbling away from the guard that tries to shackle him, Roth glances about to obtain as much as he can about his situation. The guard in front of him is clearly from Solaris, and when he asks the guard why he is doing this, the guard explains that he is under arrest as a known associate of a criminal. Down the hall, Lo, Sara, and Myne are getting similar explanations as they are led down the inn's hallway.

Sara lets out an exasperated groan as she asks herself, "What has Tarian has done now?"

Without drawing the sword at his side, Roth defensively rushes the guard, and pushes him far enough out of the room to slam the door and push the bed in front of it as the guard tries to gain re-entry. In the seconds he has to make a decision, he grabs his pack from his bedside and rushes for his window. He sees guards and a carriage from the torch light, and he notes that some of the guards are from Solaris, while others bear the mark of an eye. With no other options, he makes an ill-executed jump out the window, and his foot catches on the sash, which makes him lurch forward out the window head first. When he lands with a thud in the dirt one floor below, he is happy that he just has the wind knocked out of him momentarily, because he is immediately rushed by the guards. He manages to avoid their grasp, and sprints away into the night.

 _ **Bo: The Meeting with the Drunken Master**_

As he pulls open his heavy eyelids, Bo finds himself flat on his back on a hard, wooden surface, and has the sensation of moving and bouncing around. It is still dark outside, but he sees (through metal bars) the flickering of torchlight outside, and he can also see and hear the clank of the footsteps of guards marching alongside the carriage. The torchlight casts a shadow that makes him realize that he is not alone in the wagon; he perceives the face of an old man sitting at the bars in front of their moving cage. Paying no mind to the old man, Bo immediately applies his strength and attention to an attempt at escape. He pulls at the manacles, and wriggles for a better position, but cannot break his bonds. The old man watches him with interest, and then finally extends a hand with long, thin fingers at Bo, proffering a flask to the young monk.

With a small smile, he says, "Relax, have a drink."

Bo sniffs at the flask, and his senses are greeted with the smell of wine. He eyes the flask suspiciously, then turns his gaze to the old man, wondering out loud, "How were you able to smuggle a flask in here?"

The old man grins and explains, "I managed to get it off one of the guards."

"Thank you, but no thank you...why were you arrested?"

The old man seems unashamed of his situation, and says, "Public intoxication… the people of Avalon are very uptight. I say, would you mind causing a scene for me? This might make for a more exciting ride."

Bo is slightly affronted and says, "No!"

The guards outside pound on the side of the cart, "Hey, keep it down, or we'll make you walk all the way to Ano Liosia!"

When Bo looks puzzled at the name of the place, the old man explains, "That is the capital city of Solaris, and that it has _great_ bars. You're looking a little stressed. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride. What's your name, boy?"

"Bo, short for Piāobó. I'm from the island of Luna."

The old man holds out his hand again, this time to shake, and says, "I am Tao Ron Li. Happy to make your acquaintance. Are you sure you don't want a drink? It's sun wine, a very good year."

Bo shakes his head, and says to himself, "My masters will be ashamed," as he takes the flask.

Tao Ron Li reaches out and opens Bo's shackles with a few twists, and says, "Here, it will be easier to drink with your hands free."

Bo looks astounded, and says, "You couldn't have done that earlier?!"

The old man replies, "You didn't ask."

Bo takes a swig of the sweet wine, and calmly says, "I apologize. I let my temper get the better of me."

"Just relax, and enjoy life."

Bo asks, "Old man, do you know any good stories?

"Well, I can teach you a thing or two about personal principles."

He hands Bo a scroll that was tucked away in his tunic, and Bo looks at him with misunderstanding. Tao Ron Li smiles wide, and says, "I am a Drunken Master."

 _ **Roth & Tarian: Planning to Plan**_

After Roth's spectacular failure at grace out the window, and his truly amazing wrestling match to escape the guards, Tarian knows he needs to find Roth as he watches the ranger's sprinting figure. As casually as he can, he strolls in the direction that he watches Roth run, and soon he finds the ranger in a side street.

When Roth recognizes Tarian approaching, he explains, "I stopped running when I shook off the guards since I did not know the city well enough to not circle back from where he just ran!"

Tarian gives Roth a smirk, "I saw your graceful 'leap' out the window, and unfortunately did not see anyone else escape, at least not through the windows...I wonder why the guards were after the us…"

"According to one of the guards that tried to accost me, someone from our group committed some kind of offense against the city."

Tarian urges Roth, "It seems we need to find out what happened to the rest of the party."

Roth advises, "Let's be sure to stay in the shadows as much as we can."

They sneak back in the direction of the inn, and arrive in time to watch the horse-drawn cart flanked with guards moving down the road. He can tell that their three missing companions (sans Bo) are in the cart, and that Rauros is tied and being led. They stay in the shadows and manage to follow the cart all the way to the city gates, where it is stops. They see a robed female elf approach the captain of the guards, and as Tarian sneaks closer he overhears some of the sorceress's conversation with the captain. She asks if those in the cart are all of them, and the captain produces a booklet. He says that according to the records from Comstock, they fit the description, but that they are missing two of them. She tells the captain that he should inform Mr. Felstadt when their motives are found out. As she walks away, there are other guards that follow in her wake with the symbol of an eye on their tabards. The cart continues on through the gates and across the bridge.

Tarian sneaks back to Roth to relay the information that was overhead, and it seems that they must leave the city in order to keep track of their friends. Unfortunately for Tarian, he did not take his pack with him when he leapt out the window. With the guards actively seeking them out, it seems foolish to go back to the inn to try to retrieve it. With Roth grudgingly keeping watch, Tarian finds a nearby shop, carefully picks the lock on the door, and grabs supplies as fast as he can. He finds a pack, rope, a bunch of rations, and a tent. He also finds a couple cloaks with which they could try to disguise themselves in order to leave via the front gate. At the front gate, their disguise attempt fails miserably, they make a mad dash for the outer walls of the city, climb the stairs of a tower wall, and leap into the lake to swim to the far shore without raising the alert of the city guards.

 _ **Sara, Myne, & Lo: Subdued Carriage Ride...Without Raining Fire**_

Sara, Myne, and Lo sit in silence with their heads low as the barred carriage carries them out beyond the city walls of Avalon and along a dirt road. For Sara and Myne, it feels like déjà vu, and they begin to wonder if this would be their normal state for daring to be women unbeholden to a husband.

When Sara finds her voice, she shouts out to the guards, "You have the wrong people! We have done nothing wrong!"

From one of the soldiers driving the carriage they hear, "Pipe down or suffer consequences!"

Sara seems to steam, as if the shouting from the soldier quenched her flame of rebellion. She could see four guards from outside the bars, and when she looks over at Myne, she could tell that her cousin is agitated by having to watch Rauros being pulled along behind the cart. Lo takes things in stride, like he always does, and shrugs his shoulders, summons his lute, and begins to play, despite having his hands manacled together in front of him. The sound is soothing for the trio, who sit as comfortably as they can with no other options.

Lo strums out a couple chords, and then quietly says, "Well Miss Sorceress, it seems like a display of raining fire and destruction might take care of all this mess. You interested in making something like that happen?"

Sara gives a snort, and says, "Oh sure, and when the carriage is aflame and we're still in it, then what, Sir Bard?"

Lo looks carefully at Sara and says, "Could you really do that?"

Sara smiles at Myne, who is giving her a grin and says, "I have done something of the like, but not what you would call 'on-demand.'"

Lo grins back at the girls, excited that there might be a story behind the statement, and tries to egg Sara on by saying, "And what was the 'something of the like' that you did do? I would like to know."

Sara gives Lo an ingratiating smile and says, "Would you now? Since we aren't going anywhere, I suppose I could tell you…"

Myne gives a little laugh and says, "Go on then! I barely remember what happened. It's mostly a flash and then total destruction to me."

Sara leans her head back against the carriage and says, "It started with strange dreams when I was a young teen. I would sketch what I saw in my dreams, and my father was alarmed to see fey creatures and elementals in my sketches. He wanted to know where I saw them in order to sketch their likeness. According to my father, they are creatures no one sees in the world any longer, but in my dreams they were real, and spoke to me. I learned to speak Sylvan from the fey creatures, and even taught Myne how to speak the language."

Sara nods at Myne, who adds, "I got the hang of speaking Sylvan with ease. But the elementals taught you another language that I could not comprehend…"

Sara closes her eyes, visualizing the dreams and continues, "An elemental taught me how to speak Ignan, the language of fire. It became a regular fixture of my dreams, and I spent much of my sleeping moments with it. My father started supplying stories that helped me to understand who and what these creatures were...I think father began to expect that I might have some kind of gift. He was right, of course.

"It was high summer, and I had just turned eighteen. Aunt Brynn had asked Myne and me to collect an herb that was readily available in the nearby forest. It was a bit late, but since it was not far we thought nothing of it. Out in the woods alone, we heard the howling of wolves...the sound still chills me to hear it. We had nowhere to run, and before long they caught up with us. They surrounded us, and I feared for our safety. Desperate, my thoughts raced through songs and legends, and the silly games of pretend sword fighting. In a panic, I thought of the creatures of my dreams, to the great being that father described as a fire elemental, and the language of Ignan. I clung to the mental image of the elemental, and its words. I could see it standing before me in my dream, and though I had never dared to before, I reached out to touch the fire. I was tense, expecting the excruciating pain of seared flesh, but instead it felt cool to the touch. I looked up and thought I saw the smallest smirk adorning the elemental's mouth.

"All at once, I was aware of Myne yelling behind me. I regained my senses in the physical plane and prepared to throw myself between my cousin and the wolves...but to my surprise, the wolves were running away. I was aware of Myne pulling on my hand, telling me that we should run back to Aunt Brynn, but I could only stare at the sight before me. Approximately five feet in front of us rose a wall of fire about three feet tall between us and where the wolves had been just a moment before. I reached out to touch the flame as I had in my dreams before Myne yanked my arm and brought me back to my senses. The flames eventually died down, and we started for Brynn's house, but I made Myne promise not to breathe a word of what happened, not to her mother, my father, or anyone else."

Lo strums out a few chords to conclude her story and says, "That is quite the tale! It's amazing what the threat of death brings out in people, huh? Did you ever do that again?"

Sara shakes her head and says, "No, nothing like that. From that day I could call upon the power, and sometimes it rises unbidden as well. It's lucky that we live on the outskirts of town now, otherwise Kassen might have gone up like tinder."

With her story told, Sara takes courage again, and shouts to the guards, "Hey, where are you taking us?"

They shout back to her, "You are being taken to Ano Liosia because you are accomplices in an attempted break-in!"

She grumbles, "Oh I can't wait to find out what our sentence will be."

 _ **Bo: Kung Fu Fighting with an Old Man**_

As the cart trundles down the path, Bo and Tao Ron Li are deep in discussion about the art of the Drunken Master, as well as the finer points of drunkenness in general. From outside, they see that one of the torchlights suddenly drops out of sight, and it is followed by a * _thud*_ as a body hits the ground. In quick succession, they see another torch drop, and another * _thud.*_ The remaining guards take notice of their fallen comrades, and begin shouting to one another, but soon the only noise is the sound of more bodies hitting the ground.

Bo shouts, "Who's out here?"

He receives no answer, and turns to the old man, questioning him to see whether he knows what is going on. When the old man gives him a shrug, Bo suggests that maybe it is time to get out of the cart. At that, the old man moves to the back of the cart and begins to pick the lock. Bo hears a click, and the old man pushes the door open, and gestures him out.

Bo leaps out of the cart behind the old man, and the scene they are met with is odd: the bodies of the guards are littered around the cart with crossbow bolts sticking out of each of them, and there is complete silence. From behind and beside the cart come figures cloaked in black. Most of them are human-sized, but Bo notices two smaller figures amongst the cloaked figures. They do not have their hoods up, and Bo's eyes widen as he takes in their peculiar appearance. Even with the small mask covering their eyes, they have the look of the fey about them with antennae sticking out of their heads.

One of the smaller figures turns to the other and says, "Jackto, we caught them. Master will be pleased. You come with us and there will be no trouble."

He tells them, "I'm going to have to decline your offer. Perhaps you in fact have the wrong person. I am no one."

The creature takes another step forward and says, "Well yes, you are the Bo of the group, the man who uses two hands."

He giggles, and tells Bo, "You're funny. We will take you to our master because your group has something we need."

Bo steps back and tells them, "I don't know what you are talking about!"

He looks helplessly to the old man, who simply replies, "I have no idea what is going on; I was taken prisoner for being drunk."

The small figures make motions to the other cloaked figures that clearly mean: _take him_. They seem to vanish from sight after giving the orders.

Bo hastily turns to the old man and says, "Old man, it is time to prove yourself, help us get out of this mess. We shall take them out together!"

With so many figures closing in, Bo knows it is going to be an impossible fight. He puts himself into a defensive stance, and prepares for the onslaught. Two cloaked figures approach Bo, but Bo rolls out of the way of their first lunges. Bo delivers a punch to one of the figures that makes them let out an audible, "Oof". The figures lash out and miss, and Bo's next punch also misses. Bo then delivers a double punch that sends the first figure sprawling out on the dirt. Bo turns to the old man to check on him, and sees that he has 5 or 6 figures around him, and he is swaying and moving to dodge the incoming blows. Bo turns his attention back to the remaining figure lunging towards him and he dodges the dagger just in time. Bo lands three punches in between the cloaked figure's failed attempts to hit him, and with a final uppercut knocks the figure out cold.

The old man shouts out to him with mock exasperation, "Are you done yet?"

Bo looks up to see him standing over five cloaked figures lying limp in the dirt at his feet. Before Bo can offer his thanks or give any remarks on the man's abilities, more cloaked figures appear from out of the woods.

The old man gets into a fighting stance and tells Bo, "Get your ass back to Avalon, I'll hold them off. I'll find you in Avalon, go!"

Bo exclaims that he is eternally grateful as he turns and runs down the road toward Avalon.

 _ **Roth & Tarian: Finding a Mode of Transportation**_

Dripping wet from their swim across the lake, Roth and Tarian make their way to the stables of Avalon to retrieve their horses and ride off in pursuit of the carriage carrying their companions. They know that the carriage will be traveling slowly, and with a good pace set they should not have trouble catching up to it. They sneak into the stables that still hold onto the darkness of the night, despite the fact that they can see dawn fast approaching. They find their three horses without trouble, and decide to steal the livery to ride them. With a rare pang of guilt from Tarian, he leaves gold on one of the stable doors as the two elves quietly lead the horses out of the stables and mount once they are out of eyeshot of the guards at the gate of the city that welcomed them not 24 hours before.

 _ **Bo: Drunken Meetings**_

The cart carrying Lo, Sara, and Myne comes to a sudden halt, and they can hear the guards whispering to each other.

The guard at the front of the wagon yells out, "Hey, you there! Where are you going?"

Along the path comes Bo, stumbling along until he sees the guards and carts.

He immediately puts his hood over his head as he responds in a slight slur, "I am not sure where I'm going...Do you have anything to drink?"

The guards look at him confused, and as no drink is forthcoming, Bo says a short thank you and waves them off as he walks past the cart. Lo, Sara, and Myne recognize the voice of their enigmatic monk and look out the windows to try to communicate with him without giving him away. Bo blearily looks up at his companions, and stumbles towards them.

As they look at him, all he manages is, "You're pretty, drink people! I'll come back."

He stumbles off away from the cart saying something about two being missing. Lo, Sara, and Myne stare at each other incredulously as they watch Bo stumble off in the direction of Avalon and the cart trundles down the road.

Not more than an hour later, Roth and Tarian notice a figure emerging from the trail, which puts them somewhat on their guard until they realize that it is Bo.

As they rein in their horses next to the monk, all Bo can manage in greeting is, "I'm a little drunk, shockey shockey, friends in trouble."

He manages to pull himself into the seat of the third horse and stay in the saddle when Roth and Tarian spur their horses forward to pursue the last members of their group.

 _ **Reunited in Time to Fight Fast Foes**_

Lo, Myne, and Sara sit in silence for another hour, but are roused from their reveries when the guards say, "Hey, did you see something?"

Another guard chimes in, "I didn't see anything."

They hear the sound of a body hitting the dirt, and then another. They also hear something that makes the hairs on the back of their necks stick up: a manic giggling.

They then hear a high-pitched voice to match the giggle say, "Another wagon! More found, we can't wait! Master will be pleased!"

They then see small-sized figures approaching the wagon with hoods over their heads and masks covering their eyes. They also see that these peculiar creatures have antennae sticking out of their heads.

As they look at the three staring back out at them, they say, "Master wants you."

When they are close enough, Myne recognizes the lanky creatures as quicklings. They are chaotic, mischievous, and very fast. They have a natural invisibility, and they are susceptible to being slowed. All of this information she relays to her companions as quickly as possible. Lo seems to think he can handle the situation, and puts on his best grin as he tells the quicklings that he has lots of gold that he would be willing to part with for letting his party go free.

The quicklings giggle again and say, "Blue eyebrows wants to pay us off!"

Lo has the feeling the bribe was not accepted when one of them climbs into the driver's seat to urge the horses into action while the other leaps on top of the cage, draws his sword, and laughs maniacally as he prods the party through the cage, saying, "I wonder which one I will hit first?"

Roth, Tarian, and Bo ride onto the strange scene of lit torches and the bodies of soldiers littering the ground, and just in the distance, they see the retreating cage with strange figures in control. Tarian angrily takes a shot at the creature on top of the wagon, and it looks as though he hit it, at least it stopped poking his sword in the cage, and it vanishes. As they ride closer to the halted wagon, they see a blur of a figure running towards them. Bo knows these two figures, he had met them earlier in the night: Jackto and Vexxo.

Tarian rushes to the cart and with a little bit of lockpicking skill, manages to unlock the cage. Roth takes a shot at Jackto that ricochets harmlessly off a tree, but also gets his attention. The quickling rushes Roth's horse, and begins to take slashes at it. Meanwhile, Vexxo vanishes from the sight of the party, but a crossbow bolt from nowhere hits Tarian in the shoulder. Myne rushes out of the wagon (still manacled) and commands Rauros to aid Roth, who snaps the ropes off and barrels into Jackto with heavy blows from his paws.

Bo tries to grapple with one of the quicklings attacking the horse, but misses and grabs the horse instead saying in a drunken voice, "I missched you!"

Lo tries to flare the one attacking the horse, but it doesn't seem to work on the quickling. Sara leaps out of the wagon and tries to free herself from the manacles, but cannot manage it.

Tarian tries to get Myne's manacles off, but can't break the iron. Roth takes another shot with his arrow and misses. Jackto attacks the horse again, but Bo, who was caught up in the melee, wildly swings an arm and knocks Jackto's sword out of his hand. Vexxo hides again, but misses an aimed shot at Tarian. Myne heals the monk while Rauros tears into the quickling. Bo grapples and misses Jackto. Lo tries to escape his bonds, but cannot, so he tries to move into the treeline to escape notice from the quicklings. Sara screams out in frustration since her spells cannot work if she cannot use her hands.

Tarian sees that despite wanting to free Myne first, she could manage some of her spells without her hands, and switches to her cousin and works quickly to unlock the shackles. Roth falls off the horse when it rears up in panic from Jackto's attacks, and he manages to get to his feet quickly. Jackto grabs his sword during the distraction, and Vexxo hits Tarian with another crossbow bolt. Myne heals Tarian while Rauros misses. Bo finally gets a hold of Jackto and grips him from behind to make him an easier target. Lo makes his way towards Tarian and Sara uses Burning Hands to light Vexxo on fire.

Tarian decides to abandon his attempts to unshackle Lo and Myne and tries to make a swing at Vexxo but misses. Roth shoots another arrow at the quickling held tight by Bo, and with a well-aimed shot the arrow punctures Jackto's chest, and the quickling goes limp in Bo's arms.

Vexxo shrieks out at Sara, "Witch! You burnings me!" and rushes to her and hits her with his sword.

With her hands behind her back and no other spells to use, Myne rushes to Vexxo and tries to kick him, but ends up falling on the ground instead, while her bear equally misses the new opponent. Bo throws the body of the dead quickling to the ground and immediately goes after the other, and grapples Vexxo. Lo tries flare again, but it misses. Sara delivers a shocking grasp to the quickling and sees a puff of smoke come out of the quickling's mouth.

Tarian misses a stab, Roth tries to punch him, and Vexxo tries to get out of the monk's grip, but he slurs the reply, "I juscht want love!"

Irritated, Myne delivers a kick to the quickling's private parts that knocks him out. With the quickling immobile, they manacle him and put him in the cage before he can wake up.

With the fight over, the group turns their attention to the drunken monk, and why on earth they were in their situation in the first place. The monk sheepishly looks at his hands as he explains that he wanted to draw the focusing symbol on the top of the tower, and was attempting to climb the tower when he was knocked unconscious by magically locked doors. They all exchange looks of astonishment and sigh to each other as they turn their attention to their need for resources and direction. They search the wagon and manage to find all their packs in a front compartment, which satisfies their need for food and camping gear. Their exhaustion from the night necessitated rest, and it would allow them some time to think about their next move.


	13. Beyond Kassen: 25th-28th of Neth

**25th of Neth:** **Evil Plans & The Blood of Golarion**

 _ **Interrogations & Direction**_

In the morning, they felt it is time to wake up Vexxo to see who is hunting them and why; it might give them some idea of a direction.

When Vexxo wakes, he immediately starts rattling the bars and shouts, "Release Vexxo, now! Now! Vexxo must be released!"

Lo diplomatically steps up to the quickling and seems to almost cast some kind of charismatic charm mixed with a dash of threat to make him answer Lo's questions, "Who is your master?"

Vexxo replies, "I have many masters. It was Zod that told us to bring you all to him."

"Who is the master of Zod, then?"

Vexxo replies somewhat evasively, "The Organization is many…"

"What does this Organization want with us?"

Vexxo lets a dreamy grin slide across his face, "One of you has the crystal. We knows. We were instructed to bring you to the mountains in the south, on the south side of the Leyor Mountains on the White Sun Road, at the Border of Tactaochan. With the crystal, the Organization will bring stability back to the world."

"What is the meaning of the masks; why do you wear them?"

"The half mask is for a tracker, but everyone in the Organization wears some kind of mask." He then reverentially says, "All who are against the Organization will die. We have many that are out, seeking the means to the end of our goals."

Lo asks, "Where is the paladin? Do you have him?"

"I do not knows anything about a paladin."

With the interrogation over, the group decides to bring the quickling with them in order to clear their names, and they begin to discuss amongst themselves their plan.

They decide to make their way back to the bodies of the fallen soldiers to care for them, and they notice one that they do not recognize from the previous night. As they approach, Bo recognizes the shirtless body of Tao Ron Li, and as he bends down to touch the body, the old man turns over, does a flip over the top of Bo and then pins him to the ground. Bo elatedly tells the old man to drink, because they are victorious! He offers the old man some rations since he looks like skin and bone, and it was the least he could do for the help he gave on the road. They decide to make their way towards Ano Liosia since they would not be welcome again in Avalon, and they were already en route to the large city. Bo asks the old man to teach him the ways of the drunken master. Tao Ron Li thinks about it, and says that he has not had a pupil in years, but that he would be a traveling companion for a while.

With some finality on the matter the Drunken Master says to Bo, "We must get you a flask!"

 _ **Lo & Tarian: Clearing Names**_

The party decides they need to properly bury the soldiers before leaving for Ano Liosia, and all but Lo and Tarian stay behind to accomplish this. They gather up the swords and any personal effects of the fallen to take with them, and do their best to give them a burial and their last rites. Meanwhile, Lo and Tarian hitch up the carriage with the quickling they managed to capture alive, and ride on ahead of the group to try to clear their names before the rest enter the city. The ride for Tarian and Lo is excruciating, given the fact that Vexxo would not shut up the entire time. He screams, rattles the bars on the cage, and generally makes their morning hell. Just as they feel they need to take a break from riding, they see the roofs of small houses come into view nestled in the woods. The town looks inviting, and a light snow begins to fall, adding to the thin powder already accumulating on the roofs. A small wooden sign declares it to be the town of Kos.

They decide to take a break, and try to spread some influence in the town about their party's deeds the previous day. They decide to seek out a guard to inform the authorities, and stumble upon two soldiers with the sun symbol on their tunics. Tarian hails to them, and as diplomatically as possible relays their need to alert them about the deaths of the soldiers on the road, and the perpetrators responsible. At this last statement, he points to the quickling in the cage. One soldier speaks up and says that he will take the two of them to the Captain, and the other soldier will ride out to witness the scene. Lo asks what is to be done with the quickling, hoping against hope that the soldiers would take him off their hands, and the soldier says that the decision would be made by the Captain once he has had the opportunity to hear their story.

Tarian and Lo had already made the decision that cooperation was in their best interest, and despite their run-ins with authorities, for once they would be truthful. They find the Captain in a small, one-room wooden house looking over paperwork at a desk. He is a stout-looking dwarf that stands as they enter. He introduces himself as Captain Shortstack, and the guard explains their presence, as well as their prisoner. When Tarian and Lo finish their story about the quickling and other masked figures that killed the Solarian soldiers in the woods, the Captain looks concerned over the loss of the men, and Lo and Tarian also explain how the rest of their party had stayed behind to respectfully bury the bodies and gather anything from the men for their families. The Captain looks pleased at this, and thanks them for their service. He then asks Lo and Tarian to hand over the quickling to him, and Tarian and Lo oblige, even though they know it means losing the horses and the carriage, since they belong to the Solarian government. As they begin to take their leave, Tarian asks for a good place to go for a drink and something to eat, to which the Captain replies that there are two inns, the more expensive called the Hunting Shepherd, and the cheaper called the Wet Rat. The two decide to split their efforts in order to gather as much information as possible, so Tarian puts on his swagger and goes to the Hunting Shepherd while Lo makes for the Wet Rat.

 _ **Catching up & Enjoying a Drink**_

Bo, Sara, Roth, Myne, and the Drunken Master saddle up their horses after finishing the burial, and begin to head down the road to catch up with Lo and Tarian. Sara and Myne rode together since they were one horse short, and the horses were a bit more burdened with the swords from all the soldiers. Not far from the burial site they see a Solarian guard riding fast towards them. He hails them and asks if they are the party that had the encounter. When they reply in the positive, and direct him towards the burial place, he thanks them, and tells them to see the Captain when they reach the town of Kas, as the rest of their party was there.

In Kas, they speak briefly with the Captain and hand over the swords of the soldiers. The Captain is grateful for their efforts, and mentions that the rest of their party could probably be found in one of the two inns in town. They decide to try the Hunting Shepherd first, and as they enter the clean and quiet establishment they see a few business travelers, and Tarian waving merrily at them from the bar. As Myne enters with Rauros, the barmaid tells her with a wavering voice that the bear could not come in, so Myne quietly turns around and tells her friends that she would wait for them outside. Tao Ron Li nearly bounds to the bar and orders a round of Apple Jack for all of them, and hands Bo Myne's drink to double-fist. Tarian gives a tip to his glass in cheers, and after they finish their drink, they decide to head to the Wet Rat to find Lo.

Down by the river near the woods, they find the Wet Rat. As they enter, they notice the difference immediately. The large oaken tables are sticky with ages of spilled ale and food, and there is a constant fog hovering over the tables from the smoke. In the corner, they find the ever-conspicuous Lo playing his lute. There is not much business in the inn; the working-class masses that would populate it are all hard at work. Sara cringes at the state of the inn's floors and tables, and makes her way to Lo to have a seat and enjoy the music, but not before using Prestidigitation to clean her seat and the table.

After buying their mugs of ale from the bartender, Bo and the Drunken Master find a quiet corner of the bar to have a conversation.

Bo looks at Tao Ron Li with a hopeful expression, "Drunken Master, you seem to know much about Golarion. I was wondering if you would take a look at my tattoo. I have told you that I have been living and studying at the Yi Jun LI monastery, but I have had this tattoo even before I was brought there."

He unwraps the hand to show the tattoo, and Tao Ron Li seems to take a keen interest, slowly asking, "Where did you say you were from, again?"

"The island of Luna; I was found abandoned in the woods at a young age by a monk, and raised at the monastery. My only clue to my heritage is the tattoo on my hand."

The Drunken Master examines the tattoo closely as he says, "The symbol represents a group of warriors from far west, across the ocean in a land called Tian Zi. Other than being a place that warriors are from, I know little about the meaning of the tattoo."

After this explanation, he looks away from Bo in deep thought. After a few moments, he seems to come out of his reverie, and turns to Lo with a smile, lifts his mug, and says, "Cheers, then!"

Bo looks at him appraisingly, but the old man seems to be telling the truth. Meanwhile, Myne decides her time might be better spent somewhere else in town rather than waiting on the porch of the tavern, and asks the bartender where she might find an herbalist in town. The bartender directs her to an herbalist not far from the inn, and she quietly makes her way in that direction. When there, she offers up for sale the herbs she collected from a few nights prior, and the herbalist gladly pays her 1 gold and 2 silver for them. Tarian decides to try to glean what information he can from the few locals in the bar. He only learns that one villager managed to snag a raccoon for dinner. From asking around, he does manage to learn that there is another small village about a day's ride away called Pellini.

 _ **A Ransacked Wagon in the Snow**_

After a couple of quick drinks and an hour or so of rest, the group decides it is best to press on, since they still had a few hours of daylight to press on towards Ano Liosia. After some time riding, they cross a large stone bridge with a wide river moving underneath it, and then they immediately plunge back into a forest. As the sun begins to set, they can see their breath on the air, and the snow starts to pick up. From the way the wind is blowing, Lo knows that a storm may be coming. As the group discusses the best course of action, a large object comes into view on the side of the road. When they approach, they see that it is an abandoned open wagon: no horses, no people. As Tarian and Roth look around, they see that the snow and mud around the wagon has been disturbed, there are speckles of blood on the seat, and the back of the wagon has sacks of goods that have been tossed around and rifled through. When they look off into the forest, they see footprints and a long trough that suggests something was dragged. The prints look like a combination of hooves and another that they are unfamiliar with.

The owner of the wagon was clearly in some trouble, and they decide to try to help out if it wasn't too late. They discuss the best course of action, and decide that Sara, Bo, and Tao Ron Li would stay behind with the horses at the wagon while Roth, Tarian, Lo, and Myne would follow the tracks to see what may have happened. After about 20 minutes of following the tracks through wet leaves and snow, they come across a rocky outcrop covered in moss. On one side of this outcrop, they see a cave entrance, and as they approach, they hear high-pitched voices talking and laughing, and they see the yellow-orange flicker of a fire. Tarian decides to investigate, and sneaks into the cave to get a better view of what is going on. When he gets around a bend in the cave, he sees three creatures sitting around the fire, one horse tied up to a stone, the other is dead on the ground. He also sees a man tied up over by the horse, and he strains his eyes, but cannot make out any back to the cave; it seems to keep going. Tarian returns to the group and explains the situation, and with his description of the creatures, they know that they are goblins: they are evil, fond of sifting through junk, they hate gnomes, and are very superstitious. The goblins are laughing about their loot from the evening: the stupid human and the good hoard that they stole from the wagon. As the goblins talk, the four decide to try to lure the goblins out so they don't get pinned into the cave, or if there are more goblins, they didn't want to fight them all at once.

In preparation for their ambush, Tarian hides a little way into the cave, and Myne casts Bear's Endurance on Rauros, and Roth readies an arrow. When they all give an 'all-ready' nod, Lo casts the Ghost Sound of a goblin talking outside the cave.

He squeaks in agony, "I broke my leg! I've fallen and I can't get up!"

The goblins hear the cry, and whisper to each other, saying that they are sure they are the only ones in the cave, but they decide to draw straws to investigate. The unlucky goblin makes his way to the cave mouth and draws his wicked little dagger. Once he is in range of the party, Tarian and Roth both unleash an arrow from their bows, but both miss. Rauros charges forward and grabs hold of the goblin in his jaws, and flings it around like a rag doll. When Rauros releases his grip, it falls to the ground dead with a slight plop.

They hear the other goblins talking, and the sound of swords being drawn, but seeing the ease with which Rauros dispatched the goblin, Lo decides to try a new tactic. He makes another Ghost Sound to say that he fixed the problem, and that he is coming back in, and the goblins seem to buy this, because they hear the goblins sheathing their swords. As soon as the swords are in their scabbards, Lo charges into the cave, shouting a battle cry and raising his sword. The goblins scream at his approach, and try to draw their swords, but Lo's enthusiasm was too much, and his wild swing misses. Tarian makes a wild shot with his crossbow, and the bolt goes astray, hitting the defenseless villager tied to the stone. As the man collapses onto the cave floor, the rest of the group give Tarian their rage at the loss of the man. Roth keeps his composure and lines up a shot that hits one of the remaining goblins square in between the eyes, and it falls to the floor as well. The lone goblin left alive shrieks in fear, drops his sword, and starts to run to the back of the cave. Myne gives the kill command to Rauros and he takes off down the cave after the goblin. He manages to grab the goblin before it can escape through a crack in the cave wall, and dispatches it quickly.

Lo examines the dead villager as Rauros proudly trots back towards the group. Lo can see that he is some kind of merchant that was probably on his way to Ano Liosia, and they do find a pouch with 1 silver and 5 coppers. They decide that this cave might be the best shelter they can find for the night, and they were curious to explore the rest of it, so Roth and Myne volunteer to go back through the snow to get the rest of their group. In the meantime, Lo and Tarian bury the body of the villager and remove the dead horse from the cave.

 _ **Burning Troll Fur**_

When the group is gathered together (all except Tao Ron Li, who insists that he will stay with the cart), they light a lantern and begin to make their way through the winding passage of the cave. They could still see the glow from the campfire at the entrance of the cave when they begin to hear the sounds of goblins, quiet at first, and growing louder. Soon there is the crash and crack of rock, and then screaming and yelling. Two dozen little red eyes are seen in the darkness, and the owners of those eyes are screaming to "run away" and "danger!" in goblin. The group draw their swords, thinking this swarm of goblins would rush them, but instead they run right past the group. They looked panic-stricken and fearful, so the group knows that whatever they were running from was reason enough to keep their weapons drawn. They hear a thunderous roar, and small rocks start rattling as they hear the sounds of massive footsteps crashing towards them. Then they see two large yellow eyes through the darkness, and as it comes into the lantern light, the large figure looms into view: long, hairy arms and snout with two bottom canines protruding out. Myne and Roth recognize it as a troll: they possess amazing regenerative powers, but they don't like fire. They also see that there is something odd about it: almost the full bottom half of the creature has lost its fur, and instead the skin looks grey, much like the symptoms of Tarian's finger.

With the troll's weakness related to the group, Sara's first instinct is Burning Hands. She succeeds in lighting the troll's remaining fur on fire, and the creature screams out in anger. Bo takes a defensive stance and punches it square in the jaw while Tarian tries to stealth up to the creature for a sneak attack. The troll sees him, but he still manages to get a stab in with his sword. In its rage, the troll advances on Sara, and Bo gets to land an attack of opportunity as it lunges past him. It bites Sara and lands one claw on her, taking away over half her health. Roth lines up a shot and hits while Myne heals Sara and sends Rauros into the fray, biting and clawing away at the troll. Lo casts Blindness on the troll and succeeds, making it blunder around for its targets.

Sara hits it with Elemental Ray, Bo punches it in the face again, and Tarian misses a stealthed stab. The troll finds a target in Bo, and even blinded manages to find his target with its jaws, but Bo dodges both of the claws. Myne draws her dagger and joins Rauros, and both she and Rauros connect with stabs, jaws, and claws. Lo finds a rock on the ground, and tries to throw it at the troll, but it misses and hits Myne in the back of the head instead. Sara strides forward and delivers Shocking Grasp that engulfs the troll, and it bursts into flames as it hits the floor.

 _ **The Stream of Earthen Blood**_

With the smell of burning fur filling the cave, they decide to press on into the cave after a short break to catch their breath. They see pools of clear water here and there, and from the torchlight they see that they have walked into a large open space. There is a wall cracked open on one side, and they see Rauros's mangled goblin from earlier. They peer through the crack, but don't immediately notice anything, so Sara sends little lights into the crack. They see a short tunnel, and then see that there is another open space. They walk through the cracked opening, through the tunnel, and emerge into and open cavernous space. They see crude torches burning all around what clearly is a goblin town. There are crude homes of piled rock and wood, but they also see that there are bodies everywhere of goblins twisted and broken. Myne checks the goblins, and sees that their skin is different: grey and dried, some have deformities, extra limbs, and tails, but she cannot immediately determine what has caused the deformities.

In the center of the goblin town is an altar haphazardly constructed with the statue of a headless goddess at its center. There is a large pile of hoarded goods around it. Tarian determines that the goddess is Ymeri, the Queen of Fire as his eyes (and everyone else's) are drawn back to the hoard at her feet: gold, gems, and other artifacts of value are piled up.

They decide to leave it for the time-being and continue to the edges of the goblin town where the torches have gone out. They come across something flowing slowly on the cave floor. It is a snaking stream of pitch black liquid about four feet wide. Tarian sees dollar signs go off in front of his eyes, takes out a crystal vial and leans down to try to capture more of the black ooze despite the warnings and protestations of the rest of the group. As he does so, his discolored finger begins to writhe, causing him to drop the bottle, and most of his hand turns grey and leathery. The group gives Tarian an 'I told you so' look as they pile up materials to make a quick bridge to step safely over the stream to the other side. They see older goblin homes that have been abandoned, and as they walk upstream, they see that it swerves around more dwellings before they come to a tunnel about four feet in diameter. Inside, the walls are slick, and the rock is bleeding forth. With this find, they know it is significant enough to use one of their feather tokens to contact Cygar. They tell him of the stream of black liquid issuing from the rocks in the cave, give him their rough location, and their own intentions of direction once they leave the cave.

 _ **The Goblin Hoard**_

They make their way back to the statue, and begin to examine it for any form of threat like traps. They stare at the pile with caution, and Myne decides to not meddle with any offerings to a goddess: if it is through a god that she has her powers, she will not anger another by taking its tribute. Lo uses Ghost Hand to rifle through the pile, and Tarian checks for traps, and it seems safe. Sara can sense magic in the pile, but she knows it was probably attributed to an artifact. A quick glance and some calculations from Tarian, and he makes the estimate that what is here might be worth over 2,000 gold. As the rest of the group starts to take their shares of the gold, Myne, Bo, and Roth back away from the pile and make their way to the cave entrance to prepare camp for the night, even after Tarian's urging to take their share. The other three begin to load their packs, and Tarian's expertise as an appraiser comes in handy as they take inventory of the hoard: 160 gold coins (Sara takes 50, Lo and Tarian each take 55), 2 platinum coins, 40 gold worth of coral, 40 gold worth of jet (obsidian), 60 gold worth of amber, 250 gold worth of opals, a crystal egg with a silver stand worth 50 gold, a silver comb with an ornate handle worth 75 gold, an ivory bowl with animal carvings worth 40 gold, a gold and silver handled mirror worth 120 gold, a silver headband with red and orange gems, a studded leather shirt with a greasy look, and an orange and red robe with bell sleeves.

Sara examines the three pieces of gear and senses the magic within each piece as she lovingly touches the silky robes, and casts Spellcraft on each of them. She is able to determine their magical powers and names, and once named, Tarian is able to appraise them: Sorcerer's Robe worth 5,000 gold, which Sara takes; Headband of Alluring Charisma worth 4,000 gold which Lo takes; and Slick Studded Leather Shirt worth 3,700 gold which Tarian takes.

Roth, Bo, and Myne try to make some kind of determination of their geographic location to pinpoint the significance of the stream's location, but from the outside, there is nothing of note to show what was ailing the earth beneath. With nothing else to be done, they ensure that their camp is ready for the night when the other three make their way to the front of the cave, laden with the treasures beneath.

 **26th-28th of Neth:** **The Road to Ano Liosia**

In the morning, the group smiles at the sun, and they feel its warmth beating down on them as they exit the cave. While the wind still carries the cold of winter, the sun gives them a slight reprieve from its bitterness. There is a still snow on the ground blown in from the storm, but they know by midday it would be lessened from the sun. They meet up with the drunken master by the cart, who ate carrots from the cart and kept himself quite content. By midday, they find the village of Pellini on the edge of the forest. From there, they head north, and up into a mountainous region with a slight pass through the range. Another day and a half of riding, and making camp at need brings them up to a mountain ridge from which they can look down into the lower elevations. The higher elevations have brought the bitter cold weather back, and the wind blows across them with vengeance.

From this spot, they finally see the grand capital of Solaris: Ano Liosia. The city lies on a flat plateau over a canyon, with a long bridge constructed out of the rock and stone of the canyon spanning over 3,000 feet. On the edge of the city, there are tall towers that provide constant vigilance over the city's entrance. On top of the towers, and on numerous flagpoles they see white flags with the image of a burning yellow sun at its center. The buildings of the city are made mostly of the surrounding stone, with the best and largest in a government district in the center. Lo knows that what started as a military base has become a national city, with houses and markets sprawling to the canyon walls, and expanding out to a market trading district on the outside of the city. From the east, they see a river that plunges over 500 feet down the plateau, misting the air around, and Lo knows that there are many goods transported to the city via that river. They make their way down towards the city, to the market district outside, where they are met at the walls by guards. There is a lot of hustle and bustle seen beyond the walls, and they see boats at the dock, as well as signs for a temple to Iomedae.

Myne scans the city line with some measure of fear at the sheer size and scope of the city, while for others like Lo and Tarian it appears to be a paradise.

As they begin to walk past the guards, with Tarian and Lo deep in conversation and planning, the hand of a guard is held out in front of Myne as he says, "Halt! Miss you cannot bring a bear into the city district! It is a danger to the citizens!"

Myne begins to stammer, lowering her head at the guard's order, and looks around desperately for anyone that might be able to help her.

Roth, already uncomfortable at the sight of the city and seeing Myne's distress, puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "I do not need to enter, the city is of no consequence to me. We can set up camp somewhere along the city borders."

Sara is hovering at the entrance of the city, looking back and listening to Myne's predicament. At Roth's words, she looks longingly at the city with thoughts of a comfortable bed and a warm bath, and back to Roth and Myne, who are making plans to camp outside.

When Myne turns and sees her cousin's longing she says, "Sara go ahead into the city, we'll be okay. If anyone can survive out here it's Roth, Rauros, and me."

Roth gives Sara a small smile of reassurance as Myne continues, "I do have some need to enter the city for a… personal errand though..."

Sara presses Myne, saying, "What personal errands would you have in this city, Myne?"

Rather hotly, Myne says, "I need to find a temple to pray to Gozreh, okay? Did you want to join me, Sara? You can if you care to."

Sara sighs, shrugging her shoulders as she says, "I'm not one for religion, so I'll decline your invite. Oooh, you even got a little hot about that too didn't you?"

Myne seems to simmer with embarrassment at having to reveal her need that was still a bit foreign, but she is soothed as Roth says, "I would be interested in joining you. I also pray to Gozreh, and finding one of his temples would be worthwhile."

With that, Tarian, Lo, Sara, Bo, and the drunken master disappear into the city to make their plans and enjoy the city life and all it could offer while Roth and Myne turn away to disappear into the forest.


	14. Cities & Towers: 28th of Neth

**28th of Neth: The City of Ano Liosia**

 _ **Tarian & Lo: Partners in Acquisition**_

The sun begins to fall low on the horizon: it was late afternoon, and they had a couple hours before the night would take over. Tarian and Lo are in their own world as they discuss the possibilities that the city had to offer, paying little heed to what was going on behind them as they crossed the massive bridge to enter the city. Tarian's mind was burning with the thoughts of setting up a permanent home base for his information-gathering business, and with the heavy amount of gold lining his pockets, he is sure he can make that happen here in Ano Liosia. Through their trials thus far, he and Lo had become compatriots with the same mind and intentions: take the gold, and make a name while you're at it. Tarian makes up his mind that Lo was the perfect business partner, and exposes his plans for founding an information guild within the city.

He holds out his hand to Lo and says, "Compatriots in gold and power my friend. What say you?"

Lo had been feeling similarly about their adventures, and the prospect of being a partner in a guild was more than he could have hoped for.

He grins as he takes Tarian's hand and shakes it while saying, "Compatriots in trouble and style."

Tarian could not agree more with Lo's sentiments.

They make their way into the center of the city, relishing the noise, the crowds, the smells, and all the other trappings of a major city. They wander to the upscale political district, feeling out the area. A large fountain is the focal point for the city square, and surrounding it are many fine establishments for the governing body of the city state, as well as a couple upscale inns and taverns. They realize that purchasing a property in this district would be an impossibility. The center of the city hosted the most expensive properties, with prices falling as away in the direction of the outer walls. The two main gateways in and out of the city situated to the east and west made properties there also rather pricey due to a high volume of traffic. Considering the nature of their trade they decide the north is better-suited their purpose. Known as the Alleys this district is a shady place with many establishments for the purchasing and trading of goods. The south on the other hand is known best for its 'entertainment _'_...many forms of it. They walk through narrow side streets (fitting for a place called the Alleys), past questionable shop fronts and dim taverns until they come across what appears to be an abandoned building; a place of little flair. The flat stone front never interrupted by windows, with but one small door in and out of the establishment. The front door faces a side street, giving it a 'tucked away' feel.

A small wooden sign has been nailed to the door that says, _If interested see Racoom Nathingale. Bring all inquiries of purchase to his estate._

Tarian and Lo eye the building, scoping out the features as best they can before deciding to make inquiries.

A pale, elderly peddler walks by as they debate the pros and cons of the purchase. His black curly hair is oiled and well groomed, and he gives off an air of sleaze. Lo pardons the man for his time and asks where they may be able to find this Racoom Nathingale.

The peddler gives a chuckle. "You two must be new to the Alleys; Racoom owns half the establishments in this district. You can find him two blocks down this way," pointing to the west and continuing with, "at his personal pawn shop, Gews and Gaws."

He pulls a tattered handkerchief from his coat pocket, wipes his nose and says, "A fair warning though: best prepare your haggling strategy in advance. Racoom can be hard to bargain with."

The two thank the peddler for his help and advice, then begin walking west through a cramped and foul-smelling alleyway.

The stench of standing urine and garbage gets stronger as they wind their way towards Gews and Gaws. Finally, after having to step over several passed-out drunkards they see an old, soiled, cotton banner flimsily hanging outside a small windowless brick building. _Gews and Gaws_ , it reads. An unassuming wooden door stands to the left of the banner. Lo and Tarian look at each other for a moment, then Lo with an outstretched arm and a slight bow, offers Tarian to go in first.

The inside of the establishment is covered from floor to ceiling with wood paneling. The decor is drab and furnishings sparse. The light is dim, and numerous cobwebs fill the open rafter ceiling. There is one small desk to the left which a halfling is seated at, pushing paperwork and dipping his pen into an inkwell to write up documents. A single lit lamp hangs above, providing just enough light to see. At the far back sits an enormous hardwood desk, covered in stacks of books and papers. Behind it is a large, wide shouldered, elderly man. The only hair he displays are a set of silver mutton chops running down the side of his square jaw.

His eyes glance up from his paperwork for just a moment, and in a stern rough growl says, "Get out, I don't serve your kind."

He then immediately goes back to drafting out a document with quill in hand. Tarian and Lo give each other a glance.

Lo steps forward, "Good sir, if we could just have a moment of your time. We-"

The large man behind the desk stands up with such force that his chair goes toppling backwards, pointing directly at Tarian as he shouts, "Did I not make myself clear!? I do not serve his kind! Now be gone, the both of you!"

Tarian is about to say something just before Lo puts his hand on Tarian's shoulder and gives him a slight tug back. Lo nods his head towards the door and the two leave.

Once outside with the door is closed behind them Tarian speaks up, "What the hells was that all about?"

"It would appear that he does not like Elves," Lo replies snarkily.

Tarian waves his hand in the direction of the building, "Well yes, that I gathered. So, what are we supposed to do now?"

Lo takes a moment to ponder their dilemma, twirling his left eyebrow with his finger, "Here's a thought," he says before continuing, "Let me take care of this transaction."

Tarian's face transitions to a look of disgust.

Seeing his friend's response, Lo smirks, "Look I know it isn't ideal, but let me take care of this. I will make the transaction with your gold and mine, get the building for us, and you will use it to run the guild. Think of me as just your official, unofficial landlord."

Tarian folds his arms and looks down at the ground, slightly bobbing his head as in thought before eventually responding, "That just might be in my best interest too. If my name is absent from the deed, it would be all the better. Okay, let's do this: you get the deed to the property and I will handle the management."

Lo gives Tarian a slap on the shoulder, "That's the spirit! Wait for me out here and leave the negotiating to me."

He gives Tarian a wink, fluffs up his ruffled shirt, and strides back into the building.

"I thought I told you to get the hells out of here!" is the first thing Lo hears once back inside Gews and Gaws.

Lo looks down at the halfling, and notices a small bead of sweat trickling down the side of his head, and the slight shaking of his fingers.

He then turns his attention to who he assumes is Racoom Nathingale, and with his biggest showman voice says, "Mr. Nathingale, my sincere apologies," he states with a bow, "my servant shall remain outside as we conduct business."

Racoom gives a sneer, "Servant, eh?" eyeing Lo up and down, "As long as he is just that: a servant. You look like a proper gentleman enough though, very well, come sit down and let me hear your business."

The halfling scrambles to his feet and pulls a rickety, old wooden chair in front of the desk Racoom is seated at. He also brings over a fresh stack of papers and lays them on the desk, then scrambles back to his own tiny sitting arrangement.

Lo takes a seat, and goes on to explain the building he and Tarian would like to purchase.

Racoom itches his mutton chops with his right hand, sending bits of dry skin and hairs floating down to his desk, "The old Wiley place, eh? What use do you have for such a building?"

Lo's eyebrows give a dance on his brow as he sits up and explains, "You see, I am interested in opening something of a tavern there: offering low-cost food and drink to accommodate the local clientele, while offering top dollar entertainment!"

"Oh yeah?" Racoom responds, "And how do you manage doing such a thing?" He leans forward with interest to hear his response.

Lo bears his ivory white smile, "It all has to do with who you know, my good sir. Work with those who you can trust, and who offer you the best deals. Take elves for example, always cutting me short with what I ask for. As such I just don't do business with them."

Racoom meets Lo's grin with his own smile of stained yellow teeth, "Go on…"

Tarian leans up against the side of the building, and wonders what is going on inside, "It has been over an hour! What could be taking so long?"

As if on cue Lo emerges from the doorway with a rolled-up piece of parchment in his hand.

Tarian immediately changes his stance, hope and even a slight leap of excitement in his voice, "You got it?!"

Lo twirls the parchment in his fingers, "It is all ours, and at the low, low price of 3100 gold!"

Tarian sinks slightly at the gold that he could almost feel draining from him; it was almost the same sensation as getting pierced through the heart again, "That much?"

Lo gives a hearty chuckle and pats Tarian on the back, "Don't worry my friend. I talked him down from much more, and there is plenty left over! He even recommended a carpenter for any adjustments we need. He isn't too far from here; we should be able stop in before they close." Tarian bows low and holds his hand out for Lo to proceed, "Lead on."

As they head down the alley, Lo adds, "Did you know this place even has a secret side entrance?"

Tarian beams with delight.

When the last of their gold has exchanged hands for their new guild house and the renovations, the sun has set, and they navigate their way back to the political district to purchase rooms for the night. Both felt at the top of their games, and looking forward to a little bit of indulgence. At the Golden Sun, one of the premier inns in the district, they rent an expensive suite, giving them each a large, plush bedroom as well as a separate meeting room. They had a lot of planning to do, and wanted to do so in style.

 _ **Sara & Bo: The City's Luxuries**_

Bo and the drunken master are just behind Tarian and Lo on the bridge, and Tao Ron Li is enthusiastically explaining to Bo the wonders of Ano Liosia. He holds his hands up in glee as he names off all the bars in the city, and which ones were best for which drinks, or even which places were best for your drinking mood. Their options were limitless in clientele, drinks, and specialties, and Bo listens intently to the extensive drinking world that was being laid at his feet. Bo begins to share in the excitement of the Drunken Master, and thinks eagerly of continuing his studies in the world of the drunken master.

Tao Ron Li finally concludes his long list of bars, taverns, dives, inns, and pubs by saying, "And we must start out this night properly. I must insist that we make tonight exquisite, we shall drink in style my young apprentice! Come my friend, we are off to the center of the city where we shall have only the finest in distilled grains and fruits at The Hippogriff's Talon!"

Meanwhile, Sara says her goodbyes to Myne at the gates, and as she hurries across the bridge to catch up to Bo and the Drunken Master, her back tenses and she shivers from the cold winds blowing in from the north across the bridge. She pulls her cloak closer to her, and feels a pang of guilt at leaving her cousin.

She does her best to shake herself of it, chanting to herself, _She is going to be fine… she is an adult who can take care of herself… she is not my six-year-old charge any more…_

A gust blows her hood back, and she hastily pulls it back up to keep warm and continues her thoughts, _Oh Gods! A warm bath is going to feel soooo good…_

Sara had caught up to Bo and the Drunken Master as Tao Ron Li mentions heading for the posh city center, and she smiles with delight at the thought of spending her coin on a good room. Sara gives herself one last thought of her Aunt Brynn, and how she would shudder to think of her little daughter out in the cold wilderness alone with a man; quite possibly reprimanding Sara for letting Myne get into such a situation. She pushes the thought away, reassuring herself that of all the men in the group, Roth would be the one to be honorable about the situation.

Sara had never been to a city of this size, and despite feeling like a country girl, she was becoming accustomed to the life of travel, and staying at inns. As Tao Ron Li paints the picture of beautiful civility and pleasure in the center of the city, she sighs with excitement and anticipation, feeling a slight burn in her chest at the thought having some time to herself. As they enter the eastern district, they see inns and taverns to welcome travelers, and Sara smiles slightly at passersby that were giving her lingering looks, and she was unsure why.

Bo turns to regard her, and says, "Sara, I do not know if you are aware, but your eyes are glowing slightly."

Sara self-consciously grins, realizing that her inner thoughts were causing her to display her powers. She does her best to gain control of her excitement, and feels the magics recede slightly. She breathes in as they reach the city center, seeing the beautiful fountain and the gleaming establishments that surrounded it, taking in the manicured gardens, patios, and bistros that were connected by the cobblestone streets.

Bo turns to Sara with a measure of 'concerned protective male' in his voice as he says, "Do you need me to escort you to an inn for the night? I would never forgive myself if something were to happen to you, and I do not think you should be wandering the city by yourself."

Sara gives him a barely stifled indignant laugh and says, "I will be fine on my own, but if _you_ should need an escort home from the bar tonight, just let me know."

Bo takes her obstinate headstrong statement in stride, nodding at her and saying, "Good night then. We are off to the Hippogriff's Talon if you should need us."

Sara watches as they turn away, eagerly rubbing their hands together and talking animatedly to each other about the glories of fine alcohol. She sighs at the two, shaking her head at their antics and then turning her attention to selecting an inn for the night. She had no desire to be out of doors any longer than necessary, and she shivers again as a breeze blows through the courtyard. Across from the Hippogriff's Talon, she sees an equally impressive structure with an immense wooden sign depicting a full, glowing sun and the words, _The Golden Sun_ in gilt lettering underneath it.

She smiles as she takes in the detailed architectural embellishments around the bright green double doors and thinks, _I need tonight: good food, a hot bath, some wine and a soft bed_. She hurries for the doors, and steps inside, feeling the warmth of the hearth in the foyer.

A beautiful female human at the desk in the lobby smiles invitingly at her and says, "Miss, can I help you? You look like a traveler."

Sara steps up to the counter, giving the woman an excited smile as she says, "I would like a room please...something nice, but not too opulent."

The young woman nods dutifully, looking at her room chart and says, "I have a suite overlooking the government building. A single queen bed, will that do?"

Sara nods and adds, "I know it will be extra, but I would also like room service and a hot bath please. I have been on the road for many days and am looking forward to some luxuries."

The woman smiles ingratiatingly as Sara hands over the gold to pay for her room and extra luxuries, and she hands Sara a key and a complimentary bar of expensive-looking chocolate.

She smiles at Sara and says, "Have a wonderful stay m'lady. If you should need anything else, there is a card with our concierge information in your room."

Internally Sara answers, _Hmm, you wouldn't be able to bring me a young paladin upon command, would you?_

 _ **Roth & Myne: Making Camp**_

Myne steps in behind Roth as they turn away from the gates of Ano Liosia, and she keeps a hand on Rauros's head for comfort at the unknown. She had shown Sara the most confident face she could muster to ensure she would not worry, but in her own mind she had plenty to worry about.

Her mind begins to reel as she thinks, _Oh Gods! I'm about to go off into the forest to spend the night with a man! What do I do? I know how to survive, I don't know how to talk to him! Gods he is an elf..._

She blushes as she admires Roth's lithe form as he walks ahead of her, and then shudders when her mind goes into a fantasy, _What if he asks me to sleep in his tent to keep warm!? Stop it girl! Just play it brave, show him that you can do this, and we will make it through the night just fine._

She watches as Roth adjusts the pack on his shoulders, and turns back to look at her with a reassuring smile as he says, "We'll pick out a spot in the forest, we need to get out of this wind. It is brutal on this cliff!"

Myne nods and gives him a confident smile that she hopes does not betray her inner thoughts, especially the part about sharing a tent. She sprints to catch up to him, and they walk side by side into the forest. The wind dies down with the protection of the trees, and they pull their hoods down to listen to their surroundings.

Eager to show her skills to the ranger, Myne steps in front of Roth and says, "If we can find a spruce with low branches next to a clearing, we can set up the tents underneath it, get the needles as bedding, the protection from the wind and snow, and still safely make a fire."

Roth nods at her and says, "My experience is a little lacking when it comes to surviving the harsh cold, so take the lead."

Myne nods, and with Rauros at her side they follow a deer track through the snow, hiking in for less than a mile before finding what they were looking for: a spruce with long bowing branches to pitch their tents under, and situated at the edge of a clearing so they could make a fire. They drop their packs under the tree, and Myne and Roth concentrate on gathering enough dry wood for their fire first.

Myne is happy to find that the simple act of being in the forest coupled with her confidence in survival has mitigated her nervousness about being alone with Roth. Of all those in the party, if she could not be near Sara, Roth would be the next person she felt the most comfortable around. He put her at ease since they shared a love for the outdoors, both being wild inside, barely able to stand what others called civility. With their fire crackling, Myne turns her attention to their tents.

She hums to herself as she rocks on her heels to keep the blood moving in her feet and says, "If we pitch the tents with the flaps facing each other, it might hold more heat for us, especially if I have Rauros sleep in the center. He's great for blocking the wind."

Rauros seems to perk up at his name as she ruffles up his ears and continues, "We've only been caught out in weather like this for a couple days before, huh buddy? But we made it through together."

As they begin to set up their tents, Roth smiles at Myne when she gives Rauros a little head bump.

He says, "How long have you two been together? I have a childhood friend that answered the call to be a druid, and I know the circumstances for finding your companion can be quite amazing."

Myne thinks to herself as she pulls the tarpaulin over the frame of her tent and says, "More than three years ago. We found each other in the summer… There was a violent thunderstorm that came up from the south, and I was not prepared for it; I was too far from home and it was already getting dark. Mother had sent me out to get a certain herb near the foothills. It's a day-long trek out and back, and I was on my way back when it hit. I had to find a solid shelter, the winds were picking up and the trees were bending under the force. The rain came down in great, heavy sheets. I could barely see."

She pauses as she attaches one of the flaps from her tent to his and continues, "I found a cave tucked away in the side of a hill, and scrambled my way up to reach it. Water was already cascading down the hill, and I was caked in mud. As I pulled myself inside, I had a little scare since this young brown bear had already taken shelter in it. He reared up at me, growling…and something happened…"

Roth gives a low whisper, "You heard the call?"

Myne nods, trying to find words to describe what she had only tried to explain once before to Sara. She finally says, "For me, the darkness was replaced with accentuated colors; greens, blues and browns were vivid, and something whispered to me. It sounded like the wind and rain talking. I know now it must have been the force and voice of Gozreh. Little drops of water in my hair and eyelashes seemed to hang in the air, as if the world had stopped, and everything went silent. I saw the bear, knew his pain, and spoke to him. It was crazy because he understood me…"

Myne looks back to Rauros, who was also listening intently to her story, and he lumbers over to make himself comfortable in between the two tents as if he knew that was where he needed to be.

She smiles at him and says, "He still does, we understand each other. I was able to magically heal a wound that he must have received from a fight with another bear...with just with a touch! He thanked me, and told me his name. We laid down together to wait out the storm...he let me nestle close to him to keep warm. The next morning, we left together as companions."

Myne takes a seat in the entrance to her tent next to Rauros, letting her feet stretch out to get closer to the fire, and embraces Rauros. She sees Roth standing next to his tent, looking somewhat hesitant to get close to the bear without some sign that he was allowed.

She smiles at Roth, then whispers in Rauros's ear, "He is your charge too, and my companion. Watch over us and keep us warm tonight."

With more confidence than she thought she had, she beckons to Roth and says, "I told Rauros you were his charge too. Only Sara and my mom have that privilege."

Rauros seems to incline his head slightly at the ranger, looking intently at him with his deep black eyes. Roth bows to the bear, and reaches out his hand to him for inspection.

Rauros gives him a sniff, and a small grunt which Myne translates for Roth, "He respects you as a fellow hunter, though he has little interaction with elves. It's okay, you can sit. I have asked him to keep us both warm tonight."

Roth takes a seat next to the bear, giving a small huff as he makes himself comfortable and mimicking Myne's position to keep his feet warm. Myne watches as he smiles appreciatively when he feels the warmth from Rauros seep in through his cloak, and she turns to her pack to pull out her blanket.

She drapes it across the three of them, putting her hands under the blanket to warm them and says, "See, just as good as some posh inn, right?"

Roth grimaces at her remark as he warms his hands, stares at the fire, and quietly says, "Humans-no elf would make a city like that."

Myne had heard his description of Celahir Lossehelim, and of how many of the elven villages were built in and around the trees of the forest rather than destroying them to make way for structures.

She watches as he makes every attempt to keep his tone even and quiet as he tries to provide an explanation to his statement, "I would never judge any one person based only on their race...it's the reason Alex, Bo, and Lo still live... but I will admit to making it my job to hunt down humans, or any, that would do evil. Those bent on the destruction of what Gozreh provides will know my arrows. I have studied humans, and I know all their weaknesses and vulnerabilities."

Myne gulps, holds tight to Rauros's fur, and weakly says, "Even...even those that are half human?"

Myne watches as he turns away from the fire, and eyes her figure with some intensity before gently whispering, "Yes."

Myne swallows hard again as he turns to face the fire again.

She almost wonders if he was embarrassed to have admitted it to her, and he continues in his quiet tone as he stares at the fire, "I would never hurt a druid, no matter what her race."

Myne watches as he tries to shake himself of the darkness that had settled on him, attempts a smile, and says, "Let's speak of something else. I did not mean to scare you...I just… have no love for human cities, and am quite happy to be out here with you instead."

She brings a smile back to her face at his compliment, and tries to impress him by asking him in Elvish, "Are there many elves like you traveling around Nordost?"

He gives her a look of surprise and says back in Elvish, "I did not think a half-elf in a human village would have known her elven language. It is good to hear Elvish spoken...it reminds me of home. You asked me before if I or anyone I knew had ever come to Kassen, now you ask about those that travel...are you seeking someone?"

Myne blushes at how quickly the ranger zeroes in on the intent behind her question, and she drops her gaze when she says, "I am looking for my elven father, but I do not know who he is, or if he is still alive."

Roth's eyebrows raise in surprise as he says, "Your mother has not given you his name? Was he not honorable to her?"

Myne hugs Rauros tightly over the embarrassment of admitting she was a bastard and says, "I think my mother loved him, but she has firmly decided to not share his name with anyone. That does not mean that I will not try to find him on my own, though. He would have come through Kassen two and twenty years ago… around the summertime."

Roth looks at her with some sympathy and says, "Then who taught you your Elvish if not your father?"

Myne smiles and says, "My uncle. One of the only elves in the village, and he married my aunt. My cousin and I both had our lessons in Elvish from him."

Roth smiles at her and says, "Well, I hope you find your father someday."

Myne lets out a yawn as the day catches up to her, and she stifles it as she says, "Thank you, Roth...I think we should get some sleep. I certainly won't find him tonight."

Roth nods in agreement, laying down in his tent with his head facing Rauros. Myne follows suit, and Rauros rests his head on his paws in between them.

From between Rauros's massive form, Myne smiles to herself as she hears Roth say to Rauros, "Keep us safe, brave hunter. There are those out in Nordost that would do us harm."


	15. Cities & Towers: 29th of Neth

**29th of Neth: The Signs of Coming War**

 _ **Myne & Roth: Morning Alarm**_

The sun rises on the small camp well-hidden in the forest outside the city walls of Ano Liosia. The two tents are quiet until the sound of rumbling causes the two occupants to stir and roll out of their tents with weapons drawn. Myne and Roth knew that they were being hunted by the Organization, and the sound of galloping horses in the distance was enough to have them on alert. They rush to the edge of the tree line in time to catch a glimpse of their morning alarm: in the distance, they see a line of horses and knights heading towards the city gates. They recognize the banners one of the flagmen carries: the great white bear of Ani; but the other banner of red, green, and white bands is not recognizable to either of them. They watch the procession and carefully count the soldiers: two lines of 16 riders each. Myne looks at Roth with meaning: they knew they needed to get into the city to find out what was going on. It was time to pack up camp and see how they would get in.

 _ **Bo: Rude Awakening**_

As the knights make their way through the cobblestone streets of Ano Liosia, they gallop past one particular alleyway that Bo is calling his bed for the night. Gross and extremely hung over, he is brought into the waking world with the sounds of pounding hooves hitting stones, and his head pounds in rhythm. Bo becomes aware that he still has a silver flask grasped in his hand, and that the Drunken Master is nowhere to be seen. Bo musters the energy to check the contents of the flask, finds it empty, and rolls over and goes back to sleep.

 _ **Tarian, Lo, & Sara: Varying Degrees of Debauchery**_

At The Golden Sun, Lo and Tarian have taken accommodations in their most luxurious suite. In one room is Tarian: bare under satin sheets with an empty bottle of wine, a crumpled chocolate wrapper, and a grape branch on the bedside table. In another room is Lo: bare under satin sheets with an empty bottle of wine, a male dwarf, and a female halfling in various stages of undress under the satin sheets with him, and several empty bottles of wine and clothing scattered around the room. One level down, in a more modest room is Sara: bare under satin sheets with a crumpled chocolate wrapper on the bedside table. A copper bathtub full of cold water sits near the window overlooking the city streets. The kettles that carried her steaming water the night before still lay next to the tub mournfully cold and empty.

When the company of horses march past the windows of this posh inn, each of the three bare bodies makes their way slowly out of bed and to the windows to get a better view of what all the commotion is about. Tarian wraps his sheets around him toga-style to stare out the windows at the marching lines, quiet wonder and curiosity on his face before he turns to his clothing. Sara finds her robe and cloak with some amount of reluctance and a longing look at her tub, knowing that Lo and Tarian would come looking for her.

Lo hurriedly pulls his breeches on while telling his two companions, "It was great you two, just lock the door when they leave! Take your time!"

In various stages of dress, they all watch from their windows as two men that have the mark of generals break apart from the rest of the company and approach the Griffin Tower, which houses high officials and the military parliament of the nation of Solaris. These dignified individuals are flanked by their flag bearers, and before they head into the building, Tarian recognizes the generals by name: Bolshyo Medvistan of Ani and Posh Nabuzi Bonamzer of Kish. Medvistan is a burly human with curly red hair and a bushy beard, and Bonamzer is a dwarf with a braided black beard with golden beads strung through it, a keffiyeh on his head, and a war axe with a curved blade at his belt.

By the time both generals make their way into the tower, Tarian and Lo are pounding on Sara's door to gather outside and see what can be seen. Her room location had been relayed to them the night before when she stumbled upon Lo and his 'guests' on their way to the concierge desk for a bottle of wine...or three.

Sara gives her bathtub a longing look, "Just one more bath...we don't have to know what the high-ranking generals of two countries are doing here, right?"

They make their way downstairs, and Tarian stops at the front desk, where a halfling male stands on a stepstool, "What might be going on outside? Does Ano Liosia often host these kinds of parades?"

The innkeeper replies, "Two generals from two other countries meeting with the officials of Solaris is a rare thing indeed. All the talk that I've been hearing about another invasion may have some legs to stand on with this kind of military meeting."

 _ **Roth & Myne: A Furry-Legged Run-In with a Pathfinder**_

As Roth and Myne are finishing up the last of the packing, Rauros catches the scent of something and lumbers over to a patch of bushes to sniff around. From out of the bushes pokes the face of a medium-sized tabby cat who looks around curiously, and meows happily. It leaps up out of the bushes, and pounces into the remains of their encampment. It is a site to behold with 10 short, stubby legs and two tails. It seems content at its findings, and meows at Roth, who looks at Myne and shrugs. They both have no idea how to classify the creature that stands before them.

The two of them have no idea what to make of the oversized mutant house cat in front of them, and their momentary puzzlement is broken when they hear the sound of a voice coming from the same bushes.

It is a sharp, female voice that shouts, "Brahm, don't chase the field mice!"

From out of the bushes pops an elderly female halfling carrying a crooked cane with a curious knob at the top that looks like an elderly woman. She wears a heavy robe of white with silver thread, and her snow-white hair is held up by two golden hair sticks.

She is startled to see that she has more eyes on her than Brahm, and straightens herself up to speak to the two campers, "Pardon me, sorry for the intrusion, my comrade Brahm wandered off… Wait…a half-elf with a bear and a tall elvish woodsman!"

Knowing their hunted state, Roth defensively bristles, grasps the hilt of his sword tighter, and asks, "What's it to you? Who are you?"

The halfling gives Roth a warm smile, and says, "I am Bethara, tamer of Brahm, of the Pathfinders. Cygar sends his word."

At these words, Roth and Myne brighten and begin bombarding Bethara with questions while Rauros starts to play-wrestle with Brahm.

She calms them both, trying to quell their excitement, "I have much to tell you, and I don't want to have to repeat myself. Let's find the rest of your party for a meeting."

Myne gives Bethara a worried look, "The rest of our party is in the city...we...had some difficulty gaining access because of Rauros. Hence our encampment out here."

Bethara shrugs it off, "I have my ways, and if needs be I can summon Brahm away."

With that, she hops on the cat's back as if she were to ride a horse, and begins to ride away, waiting for Roth and Myne to follow. Rauros happily trots in line with them, and they make their way to the city gates.

 _ **Tarian, Lo, & Sara: Whispers of Home in a Busy Square**_

Tarian does his best to drum up conversation with the guards outside since he knows that access to this important capitol building is going to be out of his reach. The Kishian soldiers are short with him, and only tell him that they are just support, and whatever is done is up to the generals inside. With more than a little bit of disdain they tell Tarian to be on his way. The square that stretches out in front of the capitol building is still the perfect place to try to gather information, since those that would be walking by are more likely to be high-ranking citizens and politicians. Tarian begins to weave his way through the square to see what he can pick up while Lo and Sara make an impromptu show for the passers-by with Lo playing his lute and Sara making little flames in her hands. They both seem to sparkle with their own energy, and in a short amount of time Lo puts down his lute with 16 silvers in his pocket. Tarian manages to pick up a conversation between two diplomats from Ani that mention rumors of Isidorian troops in Ani that attacked a small, backwoods village. With that, Tarian gathers up Lo and Sara, and they make their way back to their guild hall to do some business.

 _ **Bo: Signature of the Drunken Master**_

Bo's second attempt at wakefulness is met with more success, and he decides his best option is to find the rest of the group as quickly as possible. He makes for the city square, and has no preference for who he finds first. In the market square, he notices that people he passes are staring at him, some giving him a queer look as he runs past. He ignores the stares and keeps looking. Just as he reaches the capital district square, he spots Tarian, Lo, and Sara heading out the other side. He manages to catch up to them, and when they get a look at him, they eye him with disgust.

Tarian speaks up and says, "Well, we can tell what you did last night."

He also points out that Bo has ink on his face, and he reads out the wording, "Practice what you have learned, young monk. When you are ready, I shall return."

Bo looks at them stunned, and says with a slight slur, "You're kidding...I need a drink."

Sara sighs and says, "Is that what you learned?"

When she gets a little closer, she takes in his smell from the streets and asks if he wants something to clean himself off with (both the ink and the stench). She uses a long Prestidigitation spell to hose off the monk, and Bo is left sopping wet and cold. She apologizes, but says that the smell was just too much. With a shudder, Bo asks what they were up to, and Tarian replies that they are on their way to a 'little place' they have. Sara gives Tarian a look, and quietly tells Bo that apparently they are in a lot of money and purchased a guild hall for themselves.

When they arrive at the door to their guild hall, they explain to Sara and Bo that they had been working through part of the day yesterday to hire a guild master, think of a name, and start getting a reputation for selling and buying information. Hanging on the outside of the door is a freshly-painted wooden sign with the symbol of a black dragon resting on a quill. Above it, the name, ' _Dragon's Quill_ ' is proudly displayed in silver lettering. With a flourish, Tarian opens the door and ushers them all inside.

 _ **Roth & Myne: Finding Friends in a Sea of People**_

Roth, Myne, and Bethara reach the gates to the city, with Bethara walking to allow Brahm and Rauros time to play.

They see the guards hold out their hands to command them to stop, "Halt. We cannot allow you to enter the city. Your animals are a danger to the citizens!"

Roth bristles again at their hostility towards Myne and now Bethara as well, "Don't you know that she is-"

Bethara turns to Roth, holding a hand out to him to stop his rant, "Let me handle the situation."

She approaches the guards with a bit of a saunter, and asks, "Is Amber is around? I think we can resolve this if I can speak with her, please."

The guards give her a look, and walk over to their tent tucked away against the city walls. Another guard is brought out, and Myne and Roth watch as Bethara pulls something out of her pocket and shows it to a higher-ranking guard that they assume is Amber. Amber nods, and ushers the group through the gates.

Myne gives a sigh of relief as they walk across the bridge, holding onto Rauros for comfort.

Roth is mollified by Bethara's tactic to get them through the gates, but looks at her with curiosity, "What did you show that guard to let us in?"

"I will explain it all later, when your party is assembled."

When they reach the city proper beyond the bridge, Myne lets out a gasp and a shudder as she takes in the sea of people and the crowded, towering buildings all around.

Roth looks over at Myne, who looks completely overwhelmed, and says, "I hate places like this, but it will be okay."

Myne grips onto Rauros for support and protection, and they begin to make their way through the city.

In order to find their companions in the sea of people, they know that at least Tarian and Lo will be staying at the most expensive inn the city can muster, and by asking a helpful city watchman, they are pointed in the direction of an inn called The Golden Sun, located in the heart of the capital. Outside the Golden Sun, Myne and Bethara wait with their companions while Roth heads inside to inquire after their friends. The innkeeper seems to remember Tarian, but that he and two of his companions had stepped out for the day. The large governmental building outside is guarded by Solar Knights, and there is a bustle outside in the square that gives them hope that someone would have taken note of them. As they ask around about their friends and any possible direction they may have taken, Rauros picks up a familiar scent, and Myne can tell from Rauros's grunts and snorts that he has found Tarian.

Myne smiles excitedly and says to the bear, "Tackle him when you find him."

The bear seems filled with glee in his task, and barrels out of the square with Brahm keeping pace while Myne, Roth, and Bethara lose ground, but try to keep up as best they can.

 _ **The Pathfinders' Task**_

At the Dragon's Quill, Tarian and his new guild master Emily Littlefinger, a gnome with wild jet-black hair and thick-rimmed glasses, are becoming better acquainted with each other. He tells her about the types of people that he wants information from, as well as information he is looking for. Meanwhile, Bo is looking around hopefully for a drink, and manages to find a bottle of wine in the foyer. Before he can take the whole bottle, Sara takes the decanter and pours a glass for herself and hands the bottle back to him. She picks out a chair in the sun to sit in, and is preparing to immerse herself in a book on the end table when she hears a pawing sound at the door. She also hears the muffled sounds of a bear, and brightens at the thought of who is on the other side of the door. She rushes forward and pulls open the door to find Rauros and a very large tabby cat on the welcome mat. Rauros saunters inside, and Sara gives him some endearing words and roughs up his fur, which he eagerly leans in for, completely forgetting his task in the loving hands of his companion's relation. When Sara begins to ask Rauros about his new friend, Brahm walks in as if he owns the place, and finds a comfortable spot on the carpet to curl up. Sara knows Myne must be close, and it is not long before she appears with Roth and an old halfling panting as though they have been running to keep up with the exuberant bear and cat.

The trio step over the threshold, and when Myne catches her breath she says, "We've...we've found someone with some news for us. This is Bethara."

Bethara makes a quick bow to Sara, and turns to Tarian and the guild master, "Is there a private place we can all speak?"

Tarian proudly nods, happy that his newly-purchased guild house came complete with furnishings, and leads the group upstairs to an office with a large table. Bethara instructs them all to take a seat, and the group makes themselves comfortable around the table.

"Formalities first," she says, "I am Bethara of the Pathfinders Society. Cygar gave me your names and instructed me to find you. He apologizes for not being able to be here himself, but he is with Alex and Father Prast, who have found a cave similar to the one you all have found carved along the Sebcian Sea."

Sara takes a breath of relief at hearing of Alex's fate while Myne looks at Bethara with surprise at their finding another cave with the black substance, "I am glad that our missive found Cygar, but fearful that there are more locations like the one we found. That substance does horrible things, Bethara. It mutates anything that touches it...withers and blackens the body...it is pure evil. I fear for the state of Golarion if what Cygar says is true: that the earth itself is bleeding forth!"

At the mention of the flowing black substance, Tarian quietly raises his discolored hand, "Bethara, is there a known cure to what this substance does to bodies?"

"We have experts looking into it, but we need to find the source to fully resolve the issue." She gives his discolored hand a pitiful look and continues, "It will continue to spread up your arm if not treated."

Bo's earlier suggestion to cut off the hand is voiced, but no one makes a move for their sword. Tarian gives a despairing sigh, since his attempts at treatment thus far have only been mildly effective. The alchemist in Tera was the only one to have any effect at all on his condition.

Bethara clears her throat and says, "The other order of business is the Organization that is pursuing you. They are hell-bent on obtaining that crystal."

When the group give her a surprised look at the knowledge, she smiles and says, "The one you carry is not the only one to be found, and they are pursuing those too. Wherever there is word of magic, crystals are around. Some of them are large, but some are very small and for personal use."

At this she pulls on a gold chain around her neck and produces a crystal the size of a mustard seed set into a pendant, "These crystals act as a gateway, they bring gifts of magic into this world, both divine and arcane. The Organization seems completely disinterested in these tiny personal ones; they are after the larger ones, and there are others to be found. I am tasking you to help us track down these larger crystals before the Organization can get a hold of them. To the Northwest of here sit the Cheri Islands; there is word of elemental creatures roaming-"

Sara lets out a squeal of excitement at the mention of elementals.

"-and I will be leaving shortly to check it out."

Sara lets out a brief sigh of disappointment.

"I want you all to travel southeast towards Reynes. South of the city of Hiru, travel along the White Road to Tactaochan, and into Kish. Near the border with Kish is the Temple of Pharasma, where priests tell stories of creatures in the Ogromen Desert that rise from the ancient temple. The Pathfinders believe there is a crystal of significant size in that temple, and we want you to retrieve it. We will, of course compensate you for your troubles, and for starters I would like to invite you all to be members of the Pathfinders."

At this last statement, she pulls from her pocket six wooden coins, and hands one to each of them.

The group examines their coins, feeling the lacquered walnut and the embossed image of an open book and quill, and says, "Displaying this coin at the right places will give you support and aid: a free room and board at an inn, discounts on items, etcetera."

Roth speaks up, "Are the merchants that support the Pathfinders open about doing so?"

Bethara replies, "We work underground, and so do those that support us. Look for a marking in a door frame or on the countertop."

Myne asks, "Is there any kind of pledge that we must make to the Pathfinders? You seem to be putting a lot of faith in our abilities."

"No pledge, this is all for the greater good. Once you have the crystal, we will regroup in the village of Cresta in Eastern Reynes."

Sara has an inkling about the old halfling, and realizes that she is a summoner. Without needing to ask for confirmation, she asks, "When do you plan on leaving for the islands?"

Bethara replies, "I plan to leave today, and it is up to you when you leave, but it should be soon. Thanks for the help, we will meet again in Cresta."

Bethara stands to indicate their meeting is over, but before she can leave, Tarian gives the halfling an ingratiating smile while gesturing around at his guild house, "Miss Bethara, if you ever have the opportunity to return to my guild house, I would be more than happy to give you information that concerns the Pathfinders...for a price, of course."

At these words, Myne shoots Tarian a glare and with a stony voice turns to Rauros, "Rip Tarian's arm off, would you please?"

Tarian's eyes widen at the threat and hastily says, "I...I retract that last statement! All Pathfinder information will be given with a deep discount!"

With that, Bethara gives the group a quick smile, and strides out of the room.

 _ **Preparations and Prayers**_

In the office of the Dragon's Quill, the newly minted Pathfinders discuss their plans for how to proceed. They all agree to carry out the request of Bethara; now it is just a matter of figuring out what needs to be done for them to be on their way. Tarian voices the need to find an alchemist for his hand, as well as the need to find the merchant's district to sell off all the equipment and precious items from their antics at the forts and the goblin hoard. Sara asks to take the hand mirror from the hoard for her own before they sell the rest. Myne mentions the need to go to a temple to Gozreh to pray before they leave, and Roth and Sara agree to go with her after their trip to the market district. Bo's needs are simple, and only wants food and booze to be happy, to which Tarian is glad to open his gold pouch for.

In the market, Tarian and Lo sell all the goods they had accumulated, which amounts to 191 gold and 2 silver each from the goblin hoard (split between Sara, Lo, and Tarian) and 100 gold for the weapons, split to 50 gold each for Lo and Tarian. Tarian and Sara both buy treated leather to protect their supplies for 1 gold each, and then the group splits into two groups with Lo, Tarian, and Bo finding food, drink, and a hopeful cure for Tarian's hand while Myne, Sara, and Roth head to the religious district to find a temple. Before they leave, they agree to meet back at an inn to make their final preparations to leave. Tarian, Lo, and Bo finish some last-minute purchases, and Tarian lays down a large amount of gold for a Bag of Holding and a bottle of absinthe for the monk. He visits an alchemist, but none of his potions seem to have any effect on his condition.

On the way to the temple, Myne quietly speaks up, "Our map from Cygar is insufficient for where we are going. I was looking at it while you all were shopping, and it is just a small piece that covers Kassen, Avalon, and Ano Liosia. We need maps that cover the southwest parts of Stora...and I do not have any money."

Roth and Sara agree with Myne's suggestion, and follow her into a cartography shop where they explain their needs. At their request, the cartographer produces a map of Solaris (25 gold), a map of Western Reynes (25 gold) and a map of Eastern Reynes (35 gold). With a price tag of 85 gold for these precious maps, Roth and Sara decide to split the cost. The cartographer rolls them all into a carrying case and hands them over to the three of them.

When they reach the Temple to Gozreh, they find it to be made of rough, unhewn stone, open to the air above with a large pool of water in the middle. The male priests walking through it have long beards, and the females have long hair with dried seaweed woven into it. Myne makes her way to the pool in the center and kneels before it with Sara and Roth standing back slightly to watch her at a distance.

Myne gathers her thoughts, takes a deep breath, and then says, "I have never prayed to _you_ before. I don't even know what a prayer to you should involve, but I am here to pray to you in the hopes that these temples to your name are like beacons or amplifiers, making a prayer to you from here more likely to be heard. If this prayer sounds rehearsed, it's because it is, but it is no less important or heart felt, and I have thought of what I would say to you for many days and nights now. I want to say everything that I need to say to you and I don't want anything left out, but as a god, you may already know that. My morning rituals have involved envisioning what you have created, what you represent, and what you hold dear, but I don't pray directly to you. I hold in my thoughts the healing powers of the plants, the questing of the tree roots in the soil, the navigating prowess of the migrating birds, and the raw strength of Rauros's jaws and claws. In my ignorance, I thought my powers to protect and heal the ones I love came from within, from my blood, like my cousin, and these thoughts took the form of power each day. If the information I have been given is correct, then I have been sorely mistaken. Instead I have been favored by the gods, and given the nature of my powers it must be you in particular that grants my powers every day, and I apologize for my ignorance. If this is correct, and I am a vessel for your powers, then I am unsure of why you chose me or what your purpose for me is. From the little I have seen of this world, the gods do not bestow these kinds of gifts frequently, and it seems that there should be many others of ten times my worth to be given this gift instead. I am a young, bastard half-breed whose only contributions to the gods has been a couple coppers into the village temple when I could afford it. Since you have chosen me, whatever your reasons may be, I need to make a pledge to you, because this is how it should be done: a give and take… a balance. I could give you gifts from my trade, but that would amount to placing the fruits of your own design at your feet. I feel like I should be laid bare before you since my body is the only thing that I can offer up to you."

An idea occurs to her, and she takes out her dagger, slices open her hand, and dips her hand in the pool of water to mingle her blood with the water and continues, "I pledge with my body that for as long as I am held in your favor, I will protect and heal your creations and maintain the balance with the powers you give me and with the last drop of blood and breath of air in my body."

She pauses, steeling herself before she continues, "In turn, if you would appear before me, then I would look upon you with admiration. If you would speak to me, then I would listen to your wisdom. We are looking for direction...Golarion bleeds."

She sits in silence, waiting for some kind of reaction, but none is forthcoming. She sighs, and stands, wraps her hand in linen, and begins to make her way to Sara and Roth. As she does so, a gust of wind blows past her, picking up leaves into a light vortex which disappears off into the distance.

To herself, she says, "I take it that I have been heard, and I hope to see you soon."

Sara smiles with admiration at her cousin, and Roth seems to want to say something to her about her prayer, but changes his mind.

In a quiet voice Roth says, "You two can go ahead, I need to stay behind for a moment. I just need time alone at the temple…"

Myne gives him a curious look, and he attempts to cut off her question, "What I do is my own."

Sara nods an understanding, takes Myne's unwrapped hand and leads her out of the temple as Roth approaches the pool. Sara and Myne wait outside, and a few moments later Roth returns, smiling at both of them as he says, "Let's make our way to way to the inn. I'm sure the others are ready to depart."

When the group rejoins at the inn for some lunch and a break from the cold outside, Sara pulls out their newly-purchased maps to take a look at their current situation and the best solution for their way south. They see that there is a river that runs south, and that it would take them through the city of Morrona if they followed it far enough south and west. Morrona is the capital of Reynes and the last known location of the third piece of Kassen's medallion. It also connects them with the best road to reach the White Road, which would bring them to the temple in Kish and the possibility of another precious Starstone crystal.

 _ **Embarking South on a Barge**_

With their plans in place, they make their way to the shipping village outside Ano Liosia where they know trade flowing to and from Ano Liosia and Morrona would make securing a barge down the river would be easy. Out on the docks, they make arrangements with a barge. Tarian and Lo bargain for their travel, shaking hands with a Captain Meklen, who agrees to take them on board his barge for the four-and-a-half-day trip. The hard part is getting everyone to part with their gold for the trip once the Captain relays the cost of the passengers and the beasts. They debate over selling off some of the horses so they didn't have to pay for them to take the barge trip, but in the end, they decide it would be better to take the horses with them and pay their way, since it would cost them more to repurchase new horses once they get to Morrona. In total, it cost the group 150 gold. Tarian covers passage for himself, Myne and Rauros, and two of the horses. Myne thanks him for covering her fare since she has no money, although is somewhat curious over why the rogue would be concerned enough about her to pay her way. Roth covers himself, Bo, and one horse. Sara covers herself and one horse. Lo covers himself and two horses. After paying their gold, they board the barge and are on their way within the hour.

They make themselves as comfortable as they can as the barge begins to pick up momentum from the current.

Tarian turns to Bo, asking, "Are you enjoying the absinthe, my monk friend?"

Bo replies, "I am saving it for emergencies when we are in the wilds, far away from a tavern. Plus, I think I need a bit of a break after this morning." He looks a little like he is suffering and withdrawn, but is taking it in stride.

On their right, to the west, they see a line of mountains known as the White Cat Mountains. On their left, they float past the Temple of Iomedae up on the hill. By nightfall when the barge makes ready to dock for the night, they have arrived at the town of Sikies. The animals are turned out to graze, and Tarian, Lo, and Bo head for the inn: Tarian and Lo for information, and Bo for a drink. Myne spends the evening herb gathering, which she trades for 2 silvers before turning in for the night. Roth and Sara help set up camp for the night.


	16. Cities & Towers: 30th of Neth

**30th of Neth: Masks on the River**

 _ **Night Ambush**_

On the second day on the barge, the White Cat Mountains continue to play the leading role in the scenery to the west. The river passes from this unobstructed view into a dense forest, and around midday the barge turns west when the river forks west and south. When the sun begins to set, the barge ties up to an overhanging tree for the night since no town and dock are nearby. When the group takes a look around, they see that they are in between mountain ranges on both sides of the river. They make the best of their situation: they set up their tents, Sara sets up a cooking fire, Myne gathers herbs, Lo and Bo help out around the campsite, and Roth and Tarian announce to the group that they are going out hunting.

Sara grins at Roth, "Don't stand in front of Tarian when firing your bows!"

Roth gives her a small chuckle and he and Tarian grab their bows and make their way out of the camp. Roth and Tarian wander through the forest for a while, trying to pick up the tracks of an animal. As they approach a steep hill, they notice there is some kind of structure on top of it: the battlements of some old, stone tower. They decide to investigate, despite the fact that the hill is very steep and there is no foot trail to the top. When they reach the top, they get a better view of the tower: it is completely dilapidated, and the tower itself is the last standing piece of what must have been a larger structure. They can't find anything of interest about the tower, but they do notice a set of animal tracks, and Roth recognizes them as boar tracks. The tracks lead around the tower walls; Roth takes note that they are of a decent size, and that it must have passed through recently. Tarian and Roth both take the opportunity to peek into the tower, and as they look up through the ruins they see that it is just the outer shell of the tower that remains; all else has collapsed. They continue to follow the boar tracks, and they can see that they are getting fresher as they push forward.

Tarian sees something moving out of the corner of his eye, but it is not an animal. It is something long and thin sailing through the air towards Roth, and Tarian does not have enough time to respond. Roth is so focused on the tracks that he does not see the arrow coming: and it hits him hard in the thigh, pushing him backwards from the impact. Tarian sees the figure that shot the arrow; black and hooded in the distance, and at that moment another tall, cloaked figure with a great-axe appears to flank Tarian. The figure is over seven feet tall, and under the mask Tarian sees a mouth set in a smirk with two large, lower canines sticking out over his upper lip. Under the cloak Tarian can make out bulging muscles, and the hands holding the axe are huge. He surmises that this figure must be a half-orc, and he can almost guess at the name.

 _ **Axe, Arrow, and Tusk**_

Tarian weaves out of the way of the axe as it is swung at his neckline, and then runs further away from the axe-wielder.

Reeling from the arrow, Roth takes a bad shot at the figure with the bow, and starts yelling into the night, "We're under attack!"

Back at camp, Sara hears Roth, and shouts to the rest of the group, "Guys, Roth is yelling!" and starts to make her way to the sound of Roth's voice.

Bo uses a Ki point to super-speed, and dashes off towards the hill, easily outstripping Sara.

Tarian weaves, tries to hide, trips over a root, and falls to the ground on his back. Roth takes better aim and hits the bow-wielder. Lo and Myne hear Sara and start to run towards the sounds of clanking and shouting up on the hill. Myne gives the command to Rauros to find and protect Roth, and he takes off at a greater speed towards Roth. The bow-wielder takes a shot with a special-looking arrow at Roth again and hits. Roth feels woozy, but shakes off the effects. Sara manages to make it up the hill, and sees Tarian on the ground. She asks if Tarian is okay, and when he nods she keeps running towards Roth. Bo has already made it to the battle, and also sees Tarian along with the axe-wielder heading for him, and steps in front.

Tarian gets up off the ground and takes a stab at the axe-wielder, which glances off his armor. Roth lines up another shot at the bow-wielder and connects again, and slowly starts to back away with each shot. Lo reaches Tarian, and sees Sara not far away from him. Myne sees Tarian and asks for Roth. She sees the looming figure of the axe-wielder and takes a wide path around him to reach Roth. The axe-wielder attacks Bo, who has defensively stood in front of Tarian, and heavily connects with Bo's shoulder. Sara takes the same wide path that Myne takes to make her way towards Roth. Bo attacks with Stunning Fist, which stuns the axe-wielder and makes him drop his axe.

Tarian stealths, tries to take a shot at the axe-wielder and misses. Roth takes a shot and hits the bow-wielder. The bow-wielder nocks two arrows at once and takes aim at Roth. One lands in a nearby tree and the other hits Roth. Lo successfully casts Blindness on the axe-wielder. Myne is far behind Rauros but can finally see Roth up ahead. Rauros meanwhile has almost reached Roth, but suddenly from off to the side a wild boar charges Rauros and rips into him with its tusks. The axe-wielder blindly picks up his axe from the ground, which allows Bo to get another punch in on him. Sara can also finally see Roth and the bow-wielding assailant. She casts Mirror Image, and four images of herself appear around her. She casts her bloodline spell which unfortunately misses its target. Bo attacks with Flurry of Blows and hits the axe-wielder hard.

Tarian tries to stealth, but the axe-wielder catches wind of where he is. He still manages to land a glancing blow on him though. Roth takes aim and hits the bow-wielder again, and he in turn nocks another two special arrows and hits Tarian with a devastating blow that sends an electrical surge through his body that leaves him writhing on the ground. Lo takes out his short sword, and swings and hits the axe-wielder. Myne reaches Rauros, but sees Tarian take the hit behind her. She turns and casts Cure Light Wounds on Tarian. Rauros meanwhile rips into the boar, and it does the same to Rauros in turn, the two animals savagely ripping into each other. The axe-wielder swings his axe at Bo and misses. Sara decides to get close to the bow-wielder and deliver Shocking Grasp, which misses and her bloodline spell fails again. Being this close to the bowman, Sara sees that he is tall, over six feet three inches, medium build with a black hood and cloak. The mask that covers his face is elaborately decorated with copper scales, and elongated to cover a lizard-like snout. Behind the body, Sara can see a tail moving, and that the sleeves of his tunic have been torn off to reveal scaly skin. The bow he is carrying is huge, and he is carrying three different quivers of arrows; each one holds a different color arrow. Bo, meanwhile, grapples the axe-wielder, restricting his movement on top of his blindness.

Tarian manages to deal another glancing blow to the axe-wielder while Roth hits the bowman again. The bowman turns his attention to Sara, and turns to her to do a breath attack. He spits out an acid that hits her and her mirror images. Lo stabs at the axe-wielder and hits. Feeling that Rauros has taken a lot of damage, Myne turns her healing attention to him first. Rauros misses the boar, and it retaliates against Rauros again with its tusks. The axe-wielder manages to break from Bo's grip while Sara misses with another Shocking Grasp, however her bloodline spell hits the bowman. Bo delivers another Flurry of Blows, and the final punch lands in the face of the axe-wielder, breaking his nose and knocking him out cold. He falls over backwards with a thud, and Bo takes a brief moment to celebrate over the prone body with a lewd gesture before taking off in Roth's direction.

Tarian draws his crossbow and hits the bowman, and Roth's arrow misses. The bowman sees Myne caring for the wounded, and nocks two white arrows at her. They both connect and hit hard, but the spell has no effect because of her race. Sara, meanwhile, gets an opportunistic attack from the concentration he required to get the shot off. Lo takes off at a run to be of aid to Roth and the others. Myne shakes off the arrows, and Rauros lands two savage blows to the boar, and it falls over dead. Sara delivers a Shocking Grasp to the bowman, and Bo uses another Ki from his pool to speed up to reach the bowman.

Tarian hits with another arrow from his crossbow, and Roth's arrow misses again. The bowman takes aim at Roth again and hits him hard. Lo summons a Swarm of Spiders to attack the bowman, and Myne turns her attention to the bowman, trying to figure out what he is and what his weaknesses are. She sees that he is Dragonborn, and not native to the land. He is from a continent to the South, but she cannot make out any weaknesses from her assessment. She also commands Rauros to attack, and the bear plows into the bowman with both paws and his jaws. Sara delivers another Shocking Grasp while Bo's attempt to grapple the bowman fails.

Tarian misses with his crossbow and takes cover behind a tree to help deflect the merciless arrows. Roth aims and hits the bowman. The bowman opens his mouth and delivers another spray of acid that hits Sara, Bo, and Rauros, leaving Rauros unconscious from the damage. Lo casts Swarm of Spiders again, and Myne stabilizes Rauros. Sara and Bo both miss with their attacks.

Tarian misses with his crossbow, and Roth's arrow finds the target again. The bowman takes a point blank shot at Sara that sails by her ear, and the concentration required allows Bo to deliver a sucker-punch to his face. Lo swings his short sword at the bowman, and he crumples to the ground, coughing up blood.

With his last breaths, the bowman says, "You have bested Tyrion Broodfinder. I will see you all in the afterlife." He then falls silent, and ceases to move.

The group breathe a sigh of relief and begin to survey the damage to each other, and to take in the identities and belongings of their dead assailants. Roth picks up the longbow that Tyrion held, and Sara magically assesses it as a +1 Thundering Longbow. There is also a quiver of 17 sleep arrows, a quiver of 13 normal arrows, and a quiver of 12 lightning arrows. Sara also notices the armor he is wearing: Lanalar Leather Armor of Spell Storing, which Lo takes. Tarian also takes the elaborate mask off Tyrion. They assume that he must be of special importance to the Organization, given the fact that they had only ever seen three others with elaborate masks. When they look over the unconscious body of the axe-wielder, they take off the mask to reveal the half-orc they expected to find: Turkûrz. With some satisfaction, Lo takes the mask from him, and Sara cuts his throat with equal satisfaction. They also notice Turkûrz is wearing a special belt, which Sara finds out to be the Belt of Mighty Constitution. Bo happily takes the belt for his own.

 _ **Following the Masked Trail**_

Everything is calm and quiet as they stand next to their fallen assailants until a murder of crows flies down to watch their progress. Tarian and Roth do one more search through the dragonborn's belongings, and find a small pouch on his belt. Inside, they find a sheet of paper wrapped around something. When Tarian takes it to inspect it, his corrupted hand quivers, shakes uncontrollably, and goes numb. The loss of feeling is only temporary, but the grey coloring in his fingers and hand moves further up to his wrist. Roth takes the paper from around the vial and sees that there is writing on it. They also see what the letter was wrapped around: a stoppered glass vial with small, black crystals inside. The shape of the crystals reminds them of the crystal they carry, except their own is clear white and these are pitch black. As they look at the crystals in the vial, Roth takes time to read the letter, which was addressed to Tyrion from Zod:

 _Master Malethdar is growing tired of our failed attempts. I leave it to you to hunt these vermin and retrieve the crystal. Use the vial if need be and take one of our recruits. We are running out of time. -Zod_

They had a new, named enemy, and it would be one to try to find out more about, since Zod had called him 'Master' in his letter. Feeling exhausted and more hunted than ever, they still decide it best to try to track the two attackers to see if they can find out how they managed to follow their progress on the barge. Roth takes the lead, and easily follows their tracks through the forest, heading higher and towards the mountains. They come to a spot that overlooks the river at the foot of the mountain range, and find a pair of saddled horses tied to a rocky outcrop. They riffle through the bags and find simple traveling supplies that they take: two 50-foot lengths of hemp rope, two 10-day supplies of rations, two tents, and two bedrolls. In one of the saddlebags, they also find a crumpled-up piece of paper that had been stuffed in the bottom of the bags. The paper looks old and worn, and when Roth reads it out loud for the group. It seems to tell the history of their world from the dawn of time to the 2nd Astra Era:

 _Before Records, Before Time:_

 _In the beginning there was only darkness, an eternity of nothing but a dark void, devoid of light, sound, and warmth. No mortal knows how long this time lasted, but it did not last forever. Out of the void came powerful elemental visitors, some say crossing from a higher plane of existence. These grand beings came and filled the void with the elements, crashing together at times in violent storms and within the void came the worlds and stars of the heavens. After eons of chaos and churning skies and seas the elemental beings grew tired and would rest after seeing their creation completed, but before they fell into slumber they with the last of their raw energy form the successors that would watch over this new realm. Those beings were Eden and Abaddon._

 _The war lasted for tens of thousands of years by our interpretation of time. In the end Eden and Abaddon faced off, each standing with their strongest of warriors. Standing upon the realm of Golarion, the two parties clashed in a fearsome battle._

 _And so, Eden plunged Abaddon into the rock, sealing him away for all time. Gaia punished the people of Azlant, ripping the Starstone from the sky and erasing the Azlanti from history. Thus, began the 1st Umbra Era_

 _Once again it is because of the Starstone another age of darkness is upon us. Aboard this ship I write now, let the scholars after me refer to this time as the 2nd Umbra Era. Just as the 1st, the power of Eden has shaken civilization to its core._

 _Milon Aldavar Yestare_

 _4th Desnus, The Third Year. 2nd Astra Era_

Roth carefully stows the paper in his pack, and they decide that following the trail of their enemies any further tonight was a bad idea. They all miss Tarian's stunned silence at hearing the penned name on the letter, and the fact that he eyes the letter with some measure of curiosity and confusion as Roth stows the paper. They do decide to take the horses with them, since leaving them would be cruel and there was a nice profit to be made if they sold them.

They make their way back to the site of their fight and field-dress the dead boar. They drag it back to their campsite at the bottom of the hill, and invite the Captain and crew to share in the boar meat that they began to roast over a fire. The Captain and crew are much obliged for the meal and companionship for the evening. Over dinner, Lo negotiates a price of passage for the two new animals. The Captain drives a hard bargain, but Lo is the better diplomat, and they settle on the Captain receiving 40 percent of the profits from the sale of their two newly-procured horses when they reach Morrona.


	17. Cities & Towers: 1st-2nd of Kuthona

**1st of Kuthona: River Fishing**

In the morning, there is a thin layer of ice over the slow-moving parts of the river. After Myne prays to Gozreh for the ability to heal her friends, she uses two of her three healing spells to heal her heavily-wounded bear and the much-punctured Roth. She also uses her potion of cure light wounds to heal Rauros further. The night's rest has done some good to heal them, but they still ache and have moments of fatigue from their wounds. As they set off down the river again, many members of their group are still suffering from their wounds, but making a show of them being light.

They continue downstream, and as the day progresses they notice that they are descending in elevation, and there are many points on the river where it is flowing rapidly to its destination. The rough spots are easily navigated by their Captain, and they still manage to enjoy the scene of mountains rising up on either side of the river. In a spot where the river levels out and the pace slows to a sluggish crawl, Rauros decides to make his way to the edge of the barge to peer down at the fish in the clear waters. As he is looking over the edge longingly at a bass, the barge rocks violently from the impact of something large hitting the side. It takes Rauros by surprise and he is thrown overboard.

Everyone else on the barge manages to maintain their balance, but as Myne recovers from the rocking and notices Rauros in the water, she shouts out, "Man overboard!"

She runs to the side of the barge to try to help Rauros back onto the barge, when suddenly a stronger impact than the first rocks the barge, throwing her into the icy water with her companion.

Through the clear water, Myne can see that the barge is in a very deep section of the river, and it is the perfect environment for the 30-foot-long Giant Gar swimming towards the barge to make another impact. The long jaws filled with jagged teeth make her quiver, and she nicknames it Snaggletooth to herself.

Seeing his companion in the water with him, Rauros attacks the fish, and slashes with his claws. With the sight of these creatures in the water, Snaggletooth lashes out at the bear, and grabs him in his jaws; Rauros falls unconscious from the intensity of the crushing blow. Seeing her cousin in the water, and the ensuing thrashing and bubbles coming up to the surface, Sara ties a rope around her waist, ties the other end to a railing on the barge, and then jumps in the water.

Underwater, she sees the gar, and surfaces as quickly as she can to shout to the others, "There is a huge fucking fish in the water and it's got the bear!"

Bo decides that someone has to stay on the boat and takes a swig from his flask; his swaying is in perfect time with the rocking and shaking on the boat. Roth draws his longsword and dives into the water, but a strong current pushes him away from the group. Lo summons his lute, and waits for the right time to perform the Inspire Confidence spell. Tarian tries to fire his crossbow from the barge at the huge shadow in the water, but misses.

Myne casts Stabilize on her unconscious bear, which stops the bleeding, but doesn't solve the issue of him still being locked in the gar's jaws. Snaggletooth rams the barge again, and both Tarian and Lo are unprepared for it, and get thrown overboard. Sara casts Chill Touch from underneath the gar for a small amount of damage. Bo changes his mind about staying on the barge, goes through Lo's pack for his length of rope, ties it to the barge and his waist, and jumps into the water. Roth swims up to the gar's mouth to try to free the bear, and Lo casts his Inspire song for the group. When Roth calls his shot at the gar's mouth his sword ricochets off one of the gar's teeth, sending a vibration up Roth's arm that makes him drop his sword. He watches with dismay as it sinks out of sight. Lo casts Blind on the gar to blind it, and Tarian tries to climb back up onto the barge via one of the ropes but it slips out of his hand and he falls back into the water.

Myne uses her final cure spell on her bear, and it is just enough for him to regain consciousness. Snaggletooth thrashes at Roth and hits him hard with its tailfin. Sara casts Chill Touch, but the spell fizzles under the water. Bo swims up to the gar, and unties the rope from around his waist. Roth manages to pry the gar's jaws open just enough to free Rauros from its mouth. The bear has just enough energy to paddle under his own power. Lo swims himself to one of the ropes and climbs back up onto the barge. Tarian stays alongside the boat as it slowly makes its way downstream, but he cannot reach the rope to make another attempt at getting back onto the barge.

Myne and Rauros both land hits onto the gar, and Myne starts to lag behind from the current. Snaggletooth lashes out and misses his target, and Sara's Burning Hands spell misses as well. Bo tries to grapple the gar, but can't get a hold of it. He does, however, tie his rope around the gar's tail. Roth makes the decision to swim deeper into the water to try to retrieve his sword. Lo casts Inspire Courage on the group, and Tarian climbs aboard the barge via a rope.

Myne and Rauros swing and miss the gar. Snaggletooth decides to go after Sara, and hits her hard with a fin. Sara decides to follow the example of the others and climbs up onto the barge. Bo gives the 'up' signal to those still in the water, gets back up onto the barge, grabs the end of the rope tied to the gar, and tells the others to help him pull. Roth swims deeper, and suddenly gets a glimpse of this sword at the river bottom, already partially covered in silt but gleaming just enough for him to find it. Lo helps Bo pull on the line, and wraps the rope around a post to get more leverage. Tarian fires his crossbow and hits the gar.

At Bo's 'up' signal, Myne and Rauros attempt to make their way to the barge, but neither can get a grip on the ropes. Snaggletooth tries to break the rope line but it holds. Sara casts Burning Hands and her bloodline spell, and both hit. Bo takes the rope from another bag on deck, yells out to the others to get out their rope, ties one end of the new rope to the barge and jumps in the water again. Roth swims up to the surface and climbs back up onto the barge. Lo casts Hideous Laughter on the gar and succeeds. Tarian hits with his crossbow for another devastating amount of damage.

Myne and Rauros are finally able to make it onto the barge, while Snaggletooth gurgles with laughter. Sara unties the rope from around her waist and throws it into the water for Bo. She then casts Burning Hands that hits, but her bloodline spell misses. Bo sees one more rope in the water, grabs it, and ties it to the gar. Roth hits the gar with a sleep arrow that damages it enough to bring it down. The whole group together manages to hoist the Giant Gar onto the deck of the barge. Roth tries to get his sleep arrow back but finds that it has snapped in the process of bringing the fish on deck.

Seeing the state of the crew and the group of adventurers, the Captain decides that even though it is still early afternoon, they would pull the barge onto the shore for the day. The main concern was for the adventurers, since they had spent so much time in the icy waters, there was a danger of frostbite or hypothermia. They make camp on the side of the river, and build a large fire to warm up the crew and adventurers. Over dinner, Tarian discusses with the group how the gar came to be in the place it was found. He knows that the seasoned fisherman are out in the gulf for gar fishing season, and this monster must have swam upstream to escape the nets and lines. In the meantime, Lo negotiates a compensation with the Captain for keeping their barge from capsizing from the fish's onslaught. The Captain is overjoyed about the fact that his barge is still intact, and gives the group the ride on the house.

 **2nd of Kuthona: The Capital of Reynes**

 _ **Fish Auction**_

By mid-afternoon of the following day, a large, arched stone bridge comes into view. To the right/west is a small town along the shoreline with docks spanning out over much of the river. On the left sits a large city perched atop a domed hill, with a castle at the very top. There are no walls around it, and the group knows that they are flowing towards Morrona, the capital city of Reynes. The barge reaches the stone bridge and passes underneath it, barely. The stone bridge is just wide and tall enough for the barge to pass, but a larger sailboat would never be able to make it. Past the stone bridge the group sees a large bay open up before them, with more docks from the town and city. They see large sailing ships docked at the harbor, and the harbor seems to be teeming with the workers that make their living by this bay. The barge docks along the Morrona side of the river, and the first thing the group wants to do is see if they can find a buyer for their fish, as well as for the two extra horses.

Lo vaults the side of the barge with a flourish, and starts a ballad about the legend of the Giant Gar and the crew that brought him down. The crew of the barge and some onlooking fisherman help the group to cart out the Gar and hoist it up by the tail on the dock. They get lots of looks from the other dock workers and fishermen who are also displaying their catches, but all eyes are on the monster that is being enthusiastically displayed, weighed, and measured on the docks.

They attract the attention of some very well-dressed city folk, as well as one particular man with a handlebar mustache who approaches them and says, "There are a few of our wealthier customers that would like to bid on your fish. What do you say?"

Sara makes a quick appraisal of the fish, and whispers to Lo, "I'm guessing this fish might sell for about 150 gold to the right customer."

Lo smiles at the mustached man and says, "How about we open the bids at 500 gold?"

The man laughs at his brazen attempt to up the price of a fish that he clearly knows the value of, and Lo manages to play it off with a, "Just kidding, how about 200 gold?"

They finally settle for an opening bid of 175 gold, and as they are shaking hands on the starting bid, wooden chairs are brought over for the bidders, who take their seats, and the group decides that Lo would be the best person to be the auctioneer. They also decide that whatever the fish sells for, they would give the money to Bo, since he was the one who had the notion to catch it rather than just kill it.

The group is aware that Morrona is well-known for its wealth. It had its beginnings as a site for mining precious gems from the mountains. Now, it is a place for wealthy merchants and warlords still making money off the land. That knowledge brought with it the notion that this town would have money to burn, so Tarian tries to pump up the crowd as Lo takes a central position in front of the Gar to start the bidding. He shouts for the starting bid of 175 gold, which someone takes, and Lo mistakenly thinks that's the end of the process, so the fish sells for the starting bid. They hand over the gold to Bo, who pockets it quietly. The group also finds a stable master on the dock to stable their horses, and to sell their extras. With some finagling from Lo, they sell the horses and gear for 100 gold. They make their way back to the barge in time to find the Captain locking down the barge for the night, and give him his fair share of the sale of the horses: 40 gold. The Captain shakes hands with the group, happy in the outcome of the trip and the group he agreed to take aboard.

 _ **Thespian Pathfinders**_

Excited by the auction and the thought of entering such a wealthy city, they immediately think about their own valuables. Sara doesn't want to be carrying so much in gold, since it might attract attention when she pays for something that costs a couple coppers with a gold coin. They find a banker to exchange some of their gold for silver and copper, and make their way back out to the cobbled streets. Myne's thoughts go to their other valuables, and she tells the group her fears about the crystal they carry. With it being a trinket carried by Lo in a leather pouch, there was a high chance that someone could pickpocket him and make off with it without their ever knowing anything had happened. With that, she decides to set a Fire Trap on the pouch, but emphasizes that the group needs to come up with a better solution than that.

Their next order of business is to find a member of the Pathfinder society if they can, since they may be able to give some aid to the group, and it would be a way to relay and receive information concerning their encounters. Tarian spots the seal of the Pathfinders on a wooden pole displaying a list of upcoming plays in front of an outdoor theater. They do not see anyone around the theater, but they do see on the sign the wording ' _Presented by the Violet Minstrel_ ' above the list of plays. They walk through the rows of seating, and come to a building used to store props and house the actors. They knock on the door, and a tall gentleman opens. He is a lanky half-elf dressed in slim-fitting purple clothes, sporting a groomed goatee and large hat. He introduces himself as William the Violet Minstrel, and Tarian flashes the Pathfinder coin at him as he introduces his party.

The Minstrel seems happy and excited as he says, "Well now, fellow Pathfinders! Please come inside and make yourselves comfortable!"  
The group make themselves comfortable in his parlor, and Tarian explains their visit, "We thank you for your hospitality. We have just arrived in Morrona, and our purpose in this city is first and foremost to find out information about the possible whereabouts of the elven sorceress Eremine, and the medallion she is rumored to be carrying. Secondly, Morrona is simply a resting point before we continue southwest on another mission for the Pathfinders: the retrieval of white crystals."

The Minstrel says with some disappointment, "I'm sorry, but I don't know anything about the sorceress...but since she was associated with Lord Kassen, she may be associated with the nobles. They may know something about her."

He brightens and continues, "I do know a lot about is theater," and he eyes Lo with a lingering and covetous look as he continues, "You look like they type that might know a little something about that."

He continues to the group at large, "I might have a way to grant you an audience with the nobles of Morrona if you are willing to play along."

When the group seems to agree, the Minstrel continues, "Tomorrow evening I am putting on a play, and if you are willing to be the actors, you would be able to mingle with the nobles at the after-party, as is the custom for actors and their 'public.' However, I will advise you to watch what you say, and to not give too much away to the nobles, especially concerning the medallion. Keep your conversation more centralized on just finding the sorceress."

All but Roth and Bo agree with varying levels of excitement to be a part of the play in order to gain access to the information they need, and the Minstrel delightedly hands out the scripts to the play _MacCullen_. He also mentions that the group would get part of the night's earnings, and the group brightens at the thought of some extra income on top of the information. The group begins to assign themselves to the roles, giving the larger roles to their best performers: Lo and Sara. The Minstrel advises them to spend the rest of the day and the next preparing for the role, and the group agrees, accepting the hospitality of the Minstrel for the evening as well.

In the course of the night's practice under the Minstrel's tutelage, Tarian also mentions their ordeal along the river, and thought it prudent to mention their fight with members of the Organization to this fellow Pathfinder. Tarian shows the Minstrel the vial of black crystals and the scaled mask from Tyrion.

The Minstrel looks at them with amazement, exclaiming, "You have killed one of the _Seven_?!"

The group look at him questioningly, and the minstrel explains, "There are seven masked leaders of the Organization, recognizable by their ornate masks and signifying their high rank. Tyrion was one of the seven, and there are only a few others that the Pathfinders are aware of: Zod (with horns on his mask), who travels with a witch named Namia (with a fox mask), and another with roses, but the Pathfinders don't know their name, yet. Knowing that you are being tracked by the Organization - high-ranking members no less, means that you need to watch your backs."

The Minstrel stands and says, "I need to send out a message to the rest of the Pathfinders announcing the death of Tyrion, and to ask some questions about these mysterious black crystals."


	18. Cities & Towers: 3rd of Kuthona

**3rd of Kuthona: MacCullen in Morrona**

 _ **The Board is Set**_

The play was to be performed at the castle, and the group finishes their final preparations in time to watch the audience file into their seats. The oil lanterns are lit outside, and inside the glow of the lanterns reflects off the signs of nobility: fans in delicate hands, ornate hats over well-groomed moustaches, droplets of pearls and crystals on the necks of those who never knew a day of work in their lives. The group was ready to give it their all. While Lo, Sara, Tarian, and Myne took their places on the stage, Bo and Roth took their places backstage, and the play begins:

 _The curtain opens on the first act, the crowd murmurs with excitement. It opens with the flash of lightning, and gong of thunder. Three dark figures stand upon the stage. Their faces covered, but long black hair hangs from under the rags. They speak of meeting with MacCullen, and the prophecy that will befall him._

Witch 1: The final matter at hand.

Witch 2 (Sara): Yes, the matter with him.

Witch 3: The prophecy is set, and all the pieces are in place.

Witch 1: Then the next meeting, shall be with him.

Witch 2 (Sara): Yes, everything will begin to move forward.

 _The dark figures vanish_

The stage goes dark.

The stage lights up.

 _The stage is set at King Dion's camp where a bleeding captain is praising the leadership and might of MacCullen._

King Dion (Tarian): Who comes here.

Malcor: For it is Remly my lord.

Rikon: God save the king!

Malcor: Hail, brave friend, say to the king of the revolt the newest state.

Rikon: The thane of Hiru with terrible numbers, assisted by the treacherous Gremmen, began an assault. Our captains MacCullen and Bastien redoubled their strokes upon the foe. MacCullen confronted Gremmen, arm against arm, point against point, and to conclude, the victory fell on us!

King Dion (Tarian): Great happiness! Go pronounce the thane of Aktiva's present death, and with his former title greet MacCullen.

 _The captain departs to deliver the message to MacCullen._

The stage goes dark.

A dim light is shone upon the center stage.

 _The three dark figures stand on one side of the stage, speaking of a diabolical plot, when MacCullen and Bastien enter the stage from the right._

MacCullen (Lo): So foul and fair a day I have not seen.

Bastien (Myne): What are these creatures, they _bear_ no resemblance to inhabitants of the earth!

MacCullen Speak your names, you twisted three.

Three figures: MacCullen, MacCullen, MacCullen, Thane of Aktisa Thane of Hiru and future king!

MacCullen (Lo): Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.

Bastien (Myne): Haha, MacCullen, King!? And what of me ye wicked things.

Three Figures: Lesser than MacCullen and greater, not so happy, yet much happier.

Bastien (Myne): and what does this mean ye imperfect speakers?

 _The three dark figures vanish and leave MacCullen and Bastien_

MacCullen (Lo): Just what insane root did we eat, my friend

 _Rikon, a messenger from the King, arrives and informs MacCullen of his newly bestowed title:_

Rikon: MacCullen, the king hath received happy news of thy success and has an earnest of his thanks. He bade me call thee Thane of Hiru. Hail, worthy thane!

MacCullen (Lo): But the Thane of Hiru lives yet.

Rikon: Who was the thane lives yet, but treasons capital have overthrown him.

 _MacCullen and Bastien look at each other in bewilderment_

The dim light fades away.

The stage is lit.

 _Enter Lady MacCullen with a letter_

Lady MacCullen (Sara): They vanished into air. While I stood rapt in wonder missives from the king hailed me as Thane of Hiru, by which the three witches had saluted me, and referred me to the coming on of time with hail, king shalt be.

 _A servant runs._

Servant: The king, he comes here tonight!

Lady MacCullen (Sara): Thou'rt mad to say it!

Servant: So please you, it is true, our thane is coming.

Lady MacCullen (Sara): Go now, and deliver great news to all in the castle.

The dim light fades away.

The stage is lit.

 _MacCullen, King Dion and Lady MacCullen walk on stage._

Lady MacCullen (Sara): You have honored us in staying at our castle your highness, please allow our servants to show you to your bedchamber.

 _MacCullen and his wife bow to King Dion, Dion exits the stage. (Short Pause)_

Lady MacCullen (Sara): Thane of Hiru, such a nice ring to it, though it still makes you just a servant doesn't it my dear? As if still shoveling the shit of our king, and bending to all his needs as he sits comfortably from his throne.

MacCullen (Lo): Just what to do you plan on doing about it? He is king not I, and look around, we have all we need.

Lady MacCullen (Sara): Not what I will do about it, what you will do. Take the throne for yourself, you are next in line. This is our chance, your chance, he is here in our home. He feels comfortable here, and has brought few guards. Tonight, you shall-

MacCullen (Lo) _Interrupts her_ : What you are saying is regicide! I… WE will be beheaded woman!

Lady MacCullen (Sara): Lower your voice fool. Are you not a man? A man takes what is his, and the throne is yours. Or is it that your manhood has shriveled away while at war…

Fades to black.

The stage is dimly lit.

 _MacCullen enters the stage with knife in hand._

 _He creeps toward the door of the king, a frightened expression upon his face… when suddenly a ghostly knife appears before him._

MacCullen (Lo): What is this before my eyes.

 _MacCullen attempts to grab the knife, but nothing is here. He blinks, as he opens his eyes again, the knife is covered in blood._

MacCullen (Lo): A vision… a vision of the bloody business at hand…

 _MacCullen enters the room as the scene ends with the sounding of a bell._

Fade to black.

 _Lady MacCullen narrates: the deed is done, and the plan is set. The guards of Dion are drunk and in their hand a bloody dagger. They will wake on the marrow with no knowledge of their dirty deeds in the night_

Stage lights up again.

 _Two guards stand in shackles, with soldiers at their sides. MacCullen and MacDamon walk in at a quick pace._

MacDamon (Tarian): These are the two you found?

Soldier: Yes sir, we found them washing the red from their hands and beside them this.

 _Hands MacDamon the bloody knife_

MacDamon (Tarian): The darkest dungeon nor depths of hell is enough for killers of kings. Take them away and be sure they never see the light of day

Framed Guards: Please sir, but it was no-

MacCullen (Lo) _Cuts them off_ : No Damon, killers in my keep will not be tolerated, especially the killers of my king! I will do them justice here and send them straight to the abyssal fires!

 _MacCullen draws his sword and takes their heads_

MacDamon (Tarian): A bold move MacCullen, perhaps your justice was too swift

 _Everyone walks off stage_

 _Bastien walks on stage_

Bastien (Myne): MacDamon is immediately suspicious of MacCullen, but does not reveal his suspicions publicly. Fearing for their lives, Dion's sons flee, Malcolm to Solaris and Donalbain to Kish. The rightful heirs' flight makes them suspects and MacCullen assumes the throne as the new King of Scotland as a kinsman of the dead king. I while skeptical of the new King MacCullen, remembers the witches' prophecy about him. Despite his success, MacCullen, also aware of this prophecy, remains uneasy about this, so MacCullen invites myself to a royal banquet.

Fade to black.

Stage is lit again in a banquet hall.

 _MacCullen and Bastien are on stage._

Bastien (Myne): The banquet was splendid sire, my son Florence and I shall be taking our leave for the evening.

MacCullen (Lo): Not staying the night good friend? Very well, you have business elsewhere I presume?

Bastien (Myne): Yes, we have business in Azken to the south. We shall be leaving within the hour.

MacCullen (Lo): Very well, I shall not hold you from your plans. See you again old friend.

 _Bastien walks off the stage._

 _Lady MacCullen walks on stage_

Lady MacCullen (Sara): The trap is set, yes?

MacCullen (Lo): Yes, all arrangements have been made. The information we received was true after all, they will not get far tonight.

 _MacCullen and his lady walk off stage._

 _The lights dim, and three men dressed in black run on stage, ducking behind a bush prop._

 _Bastien and Florence just off stage._

Murderer 1 (Tarian): The west yet glimmers with some streaks of day, now spurs the lated traveller apace.

Murderer 2 (Lo): Hark, I hear them.

Bastien (Myne) _off stage_ : Give us a light there, ho!

Murderer 1 (Tarian): A light, a light!

Murderer 2 (Lo): Tis he!

 _They draw their daggers. Bastien and Florence enter with torch._

Bastien (Myne): It be rain tonight.

Florance: Let it come down!

 _The murderers jump Bastien, stabbing repeatedly._

Bastien (Myne): Oh treachery!

 _Bastien lay bleeding_

Bastien (Myne): 'Fly Florence, fly fly fly! Thou may'st revenge thee ( _passes out)_

 _Florence runs off stage with the murderers in pursuit._

Lights fade to black.

Lights come on.

 _At a banquet, MacCullen invites his lords and Lady MacCullen to a night of drinking and merriment._

MacCullen (Lo): Sit down at first and last a hearty welcome.

 _Murder 1 appears in an entrance behind MacCullen_

MacCullen (Lo) _after a brief glance_ : There's blood upon thy face.

Murderer 1 (Tarian): Tis, Bastien's, I cut his throat for him, in a ditch he now lies.

MacCullen (Lo): and Florence?

Murderer 1 (Tarian): Escaped my lord.

MacCullen (Lo): Get thee gone! The worm will venom bleed!

 _Murderer exits, MacCullen turns his attention towards his guests as the ghost of Bastien appears and sits._

MacCullen (Lo) _staring horrified_ : Which of you have done this?

All: What, my good lord?

MacCullen (Lo) _backing away_ : Thou canst say I did it!

Rikon: Gentlemen rise, his highness is not well.

Lady MacCullen (Sara): Sit, worthy friends, my lord is often thus.

 _Lady MacCullen turns to her husband._

Lady MacCullen (Sara): Shame itself! Why do you make such faces?

MacCullen (Lo): See there! Behold! Look! If thou canst nod, speak too!

 _The ghost disappears._

Lady MacCullen (Sara): What folly do you speak?

MacCullen (Lo): If I stand here, I saw him _(moving back further)._

Lady MacCullen (Sara): My worthy lord, your noble friends do lack you.

MacCullen (Lo): Avant and quit my sight. Let the earth hide thee!

Lady MacCullen (Sara): Speak not to him, but go at once!

 _The noble guests get up and leave._

MacCullen (Lo): I will tomorrow to the witches. Strange things I have in head that will to hand.

 _MacCullen, disturbed, visits the Three Witches once more._

Lights go out.

Lights dimly lit.

 _There is a cavern with a boiling cauldron in the center, the weather is foreboding and dark, with thunder and lightning. The three dark figures stand over the cauldron chanting._

Witch 1: Double, double, toil and trouble. Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

 _MacCullen walks on stage._

MacCullen (Lo): Black oracles tell me now, what is it that has befallen me?! Why is my soul condemned to these hauntings?

Witch 2 (Sara): Beware MacDamon, be bloody bold, and resolute; laugh to scorn. The power of man, for none of woman born shall harm MacCullen.

MacCullen (Lo): None of woman born shall fall me? Then there is nothing that can stop me, let them come!

Lights go out, narration starts.

 _MacCullen is informed that MacDamon is in exile in England. MacCullen, believing that he is safe, puts to death everyone in MacDamon 's castle, including MacDamon's wife and their young son. MacDamon is informed that his castle is surprised, his wife and babes savagely slaughter'd. MacCullen, now viewed as a tyrant, sees many of his thanes defecting. MacDamon leads an army, along with Solarian allies, and the Earl of Limni, against Morrona Castle. While encamped in Lehor Wood, the soldiers are ordered to cut down and carry tree limbs to camouflage their numbers, thus fulfilling the witches' third prophecy._

Lights come back on.

 _A battle culminates in the slaying of the Earl of Limni and MacDamon's confrontation with MacCullen._

MacCullen (Lo): Fool you cannot fall me! No man born of a woman can defeat me!

 _The two duel in a ferocious battle_

 _MacCullen and MacDamon stop, out of breath._

MacCullen (Lo): This battle is pointless, you cannot win this. You are but the fool

MacDamon (Tarian): No, it is you who is the fool MacCullen! For I am not born of my mother's womb, as I was untimely ripp'd from her.

MacCullen (Lo): Stares at MacDamon Born… not of a woman… no, that's impossible!

 _MacCullen turns, dropping his sword and runs off stage. MacDamon follows._

MacCullen (Lo) _Off stage_ : NOOOOOOOoooo!

 _MacDamon beheads MacCullen offstage._

Except for a major blunder by Lo and smaller ones by Myne and Sara, the group performs marvelously. When the group take their last bows, they receive a shower of flowers, a standing ovation, and enthusiastic applause as the curtain closes, and the Violet Minstrel steps in front of the curtain to close the play and usher the patrons to the ballroom to mingle. He then joins the group behind the curtain to celebrate their performance, and help them into regal attire to join their 'public' in the ballroom. As they put on their finishing touches, the Minstrel pulls a pouch from his belt and hands it to Lo: their earning for their performance totals 400 gold, which they divvy up amongst themselves, some taking more than others based on their own needs.

 _ **The Pieces are Moving**_

In the opulent ballroom, the group sees all the nobles mingling among themselves and enjoying the hors d'oeuvres and champagne. The group feels a little self-conscious as they make their way into the thick of things, some shuffling awkwardly in the unfamiliarity of billowing skirts or dapper noblemen's breeches. They wave to the audience as they are given proper introductions, and then each disperses into the crowd to achieve their ends in their own ways. Even Roth and Bo take their places in the room in fine clothing, although Roth insisted on carrying his weapon. Roth immediately makes his way to a dimly lit corner and stays as inconspicuous as possible. He keeps his eyes both on the people in the room and the windows on the outside of the hall.

Many of the nobles want to hear about the group of actors, and the conversation is easier for some than others. Lo and Sara practically glow with the force of their personalities, while Myne is still trying to work up the courage to say something by taking a couple glasses of champagne.

Tarian runs into a nobleman to try to strike up a conversation, and he brings up the elven sorceress, "I say, have you ever heard of the sorceress Eremine? I am told she is well-known in these parts."

The nobleman looks at Tarian with curiosity and says, "I recall the name of her from a children's tale told to me, actually. As the story goes, she lived up in the high Lehor Mountains, next to Hiru in a tower. The land around her was twisted with magical arts, and there she dwelt for eons! 'Tis a faerie tale, sir!"

"Surely there is more than that to the tale, right?"

"Well yes, the story is well-known. You could probably find a book about her in the library."

Meanwhile, Sara strolls through the crowds, smiling beautifully and catching the eyes of admirers.

She takes a sip of champagne, and overhears two noblewomen in conversation together, "...well I believe Sir Songsteel and Sir Shieldheart were lost in the siege of the Anian capital!"

Sara holds back a gasp at the recognition of the last name, and she takes another sip of champagne to hide her panic and desperate desire to hear more, "...yes, Arthur Songsteel and our own Vyncent Desiosus fought side by side in the Ten Year War. That is why that name is familiar darling. The rumors are circulating that Sir Songsteel did not make it, and was lost during battle. Those damned Isidorians!"

Sara bites her lip, waiting for the rest of the story, "'Tis a sad day to see such an honorable lineage extinguished. Shieldheart is Songsteel's grandson; Alexander I believe is his given name. Imagine that, Grandfather and grandson fighting side by side defending the king...and neither lived through the battle."

At these words, Sara chokes back tears, and hugs her body to try to compose herself. If the rumor were true...Alex was gone, and seemingly the capital of Ani with it! She could not fully explain why, but she felt a closeness to the paladin. She had held out for a time when they would be together again, perhaps...But now it was gone. He was gone. She scurries into a corner of the ballroom to try to take in the pain of the loss, not sure if she should shout out to someone or not.

 _ **Checkmate**_

Roth paces the edge of the crowds, making rounds near the windows that lined one of the walls. He comes to one window that is thrown open to allow some of the cool night air in, and catches some kind of movement outside. He leans out the window to try to get a better view, and as he does, an arrow goes whizzing by his ear and into the ballroom. He pulls back from the window, turning in time to see the rest of the closed windows shatter simultaneously. From the dark of the outside through the jagged window openings, hooded and masked figures materialize in each of the windows. The ballroom erupts in panic, and the nobles crowd the exits while guards rush in after hearing the noise. The group takes a quick count and sees at least 12 masked figures, and very few guards to help, and none of them have their gear on underneath their fine clothes.

From the corner of the room, Sara casts Mage Armor as she angrily takes in the sight of the organization that was likely responsible for the loss of Alex, while Roth tackles a masked figure to the ground and steals his sword. Tarian finds an ornamental sword on the wall, pulls it from its mounting, and tries to vanish in the shadows. Bo walks towards the hooded figures and throws Flurry of Blows in his face. The figure drops to the ground under the force of Bo's fists. Myne looks at the panic-stricken crowd still in the ballroom and casts Obscuring Mist to hide them from the view of the masked figures. Lo summons a Swarm of Spiders towards a hooded figure. The masked figure fighting Roth tries to take his sword back but cannot, another attacking Lo misses terribly. The guards start fanning out to take on more of the intruders.

Sara sees a guard struggling against two masked figures, and casts Shocking Grasp on one of them. The figure collapses at her touch. Roth swings his sword at his opponent and hits. Tarian sneaks up to the figure attacking Lo and hits, causing the figure to bleed. Bo finds a guard with two intruders on him and attacks with another Flurry of Blows, flooring another masked figure. Standing in her own fog in useless skirts with nothing else to help protect those that were still fleeing the ballroom, Myne feels a growl rising from her stomach at the masked Organization that had indiscriminately hurt those around her. She puts life to the growl, and shapeshifts into a mountain lion, letting loose a much more powerful growl in her new form. In front of her, a looming figure lumbers towards her in the fog. The figure is huge, wearing black robes with the face of a half-orc, and breathing heavily due to the slash across his throat: apparently Turkûrz wasn't dead yet. The half-orc pulls a vial full of black crystals from his robes, and with a scowl in the direction of Myne, shatters the vial in his hand. Myne watches in horror as a grey darkness starts to spread from his hand up to his neck, and Turkûrz begins to writhe in pain, doubles over holding his stomach, and lets out an orcish roar. From his mouth, his lower canines grow, the muscles on his arms and legs bulge, and from his back two black bat-like wings sprout and unfold. Myne lashes out at the hulking mutant with her claws, but Turkûrz dodges her strike. Through the fog, Lo sees what has transpired, and casts Blindness on the half-orc. The guards meanwhile seem to be getting the upper hand against the masked figures, especially since the group had dropped three of them in a matter of seconds.

Sara turns in the direction of the roar, and casts Chilled Touch on the half-orc. Roth heads towards the roar, leaving the masked figure he was fighting to make one final punch that misses. He finds the half-orc in the fog and lobs off one of his wings with a sword slash. Tarian sneaks up to the half-orc and stabs him in the back. Bo does some impressive acrobatics to make his way to Turkûrz, and attacks with Flurry of Blows. Myne connects with one of her claws, and Lo misses with his Swarm of Spiders. Turkûrz lets out a baleful shriek that terrifies all but Bo and Myne. Bo lets loose another Flurry of Blows, ending with a roundhouse kick that sends the half-orc to the floor, this time seemingly dead.

A gust of wind kicks up from nowhere that clears the fog from the room, and leaves the group standing in the ballroom feeling exposed. All but Roth and Bo manage to dodge an incoming sticky webbing that glues the rest of the group in place. Through the clearing fog they see two figures in the far corner of the room. One has a mask with horns, and the taller has a fox mask. Namia casts an ethereal whip that wraps around Roth's neck, slowly choking him.

Zod draws a black blade, puts it to the throat of Roth, and gestures to Bo, "You, monk, you will hand the crystal to me or your friend will perish by my blade!"

Roth struggles against the whip, but cannot release himself from it, and the rest of the group looks incredulously at Bo, surprised that he managed to sneak the crystal away from Lo. Bo pulls out the crystal from a pocket, and walks toward Zod with it held out in front of him. At the last minute, he tosses the crystal to Roth and immediately casts Flurry of Blows at Zod's face. The crystal falls to the floor at Roth's feet, and Namia releases the whip to run towards the crystal. Roth tries to swing at Namia as she bends to pick up the crystal, but misses due to his weakened state. The two become locked in a fight to get the crystal, and meanwhile Zod wipes the blood from his nose and turns to Bo with malice in his eyes. He pulls back his black blade, and plunges it into Bo's chest. A black aura surrounds him, there is a feeling of dark energy, and Bo vanishes in a cloud of smoke. A crystal on the blade's hilt glows with an eerie purple color that was not there before. Roth makes another grab at the crystal, and Namia fails to fend him off.

He prepares to duck and run with the crystal, and as he turns, he sees heavily-armored guards rush into the ballroom led by an elderly knight that draws his sword and shouts, "Guards, get them, and all their minions!"

With a look at each other, Zod and Namia make for a window, leap from it, and disappear without a trace into the night.


	19. Cities & Towers: 4th-18th of Kuthona

**4th-9th of Kuthona:** **Sorrows and Saviors**

In the week after the attack on the castle in Morrona, the Queen dispatches a massive search party to hunt down the masked figures with no luck. As thanks for the group's defense of the people in the ballroom, the Queen granted special permission for them to stay as guests in the castle. It is a time of quiet reflection and mourning for the loss of their intrepid monk. They knew of his fascination with the crystals, but never once considered that he would sneak it away from its hiding place in Lo's pack well before they thought to protect it. They could only reason that he had taken it upon himself to be responsible for its safekeeping.

Tarian spends the time gathering information about the castle and its inhabitants, and making friends with the guards. He learns that the King had died in the last war, and that the Prince is not yet of age to take the throne. Myne spends time teaching Rauros a new trick: Guard, and she also learns the name of the paladin that stormed the room that horrible night: Vyncent Desiosus, Lord General of the Knights of the Rose. Sara spends most of her time in a mope; the rumored loss of Alex had hit her harder than she had expected, and the loss of Bo only adds to that weight. She still refuses to disclose the rumor to others in the off chance that it was only a rumor. She would suffer with the knowledge until the truth was proven.

Roth and Lo are both brought down by the loss of Bo, and they spend most of their days in idleness: Lo plays his lute when the mood strikes him, and Roth sits in the library reading up on the power sources of an ethereal whip. He finds that it requires spell resistance to counter, and to disrupt it is more difficult that normal. The pain of the whip stays in his thoughts for the week, and he wants to be ready if he must face it again. He also spends time thinking about the Starstone shard that he endured that pain for, and returns it to Lo's possession.

On the 9th of Kuthona, they receive a letter from the Violet Minstrel to meet on the following morning in the East Wing's Council Chamber. The letter indicates that a group of officials will be brought together to discuss the current affairs of the land and to determine a course of action, and the group's recent involvement with the larger threats makes them worthy of being included in those discussions.

 **10th of Kuthona: Council and Direction**

 _ **Rising Powers**_

The group make their way to the East Wing Council Chamber, where they are greeted by a young human with short hair, blue eyes, and three roses adorning the front of his tunic.

"Greetings adventurers. My name is Prince William, and I am pleased to meet you, and to welcome you to this meeting."

He ushers the group into seats around a large circular oaken table where others are already seated.

William welcomes each, introducing the group to them, "Allow me to introduce you all to Ginarin and Anthony Desiosus. Ginarin is the head of the queen's guard, and Anthony is an officer in the army. Both are sons of Vyncent Desiosus, with Anthony being the youngest. They are well-regarded knights and officers in the army of Reynes."

William looks around the room and continues, "I should say that we are awaiting the arrival of one more person...they should be here soon."

The group turns as they see motion at the doorway, and smile excitedly as they see Alex stride through the door. He is dressed in gleaming chainmail, and a white tunic with the crest of Songsteel.

Sara leaps up from her chair and rushes to give him an awkward but excited hug, and through the choke-hold Alex tries to speak, "I * _cough_ * apologize for my late arrival."

As Alex is allowed to take his seat, Tarian looks at him in awe, "Where on Golarion have you been?"

Alex gives a sidelong look at Sara, who has seated herself next to Alex and replies, "I have been battling the invading Isidorian armies alongside my grandfather...That night you saw me last, the orc chasing me down caught up to me. We crossed swords, but the orc was fended off long enough for me to make an escape. Afterwards, Cygar caught up to me, and I managed to reunite with my grandfather to help fight off the Isidorian armies invading Elysia, the capital of Ani."

Alex takes a deep breath as he recalls the battle and continues, "In that battle, the Isidorian armies breached the gates, and my grandfather was killed in that explosion, and Elysia fell to those armies…I only survived because I was also caught in the explosion, but concealed under some rubble."

At this remark, William bows his head and says, "My condolences to you. Your grandfather was a great man, though perhaps a bit absent in the past few years. I wonder what he got up to in the interim."

Alex lowers his head in return, "Thank you, sir. I never got the chance to ask him where he had been..."

William turns to the rest of the group, "With everyone assembled, I want to explain the reason for this meeting: to discuss the current situation with Isidore and this Organization; what is known, and the possible motives of the Organization, and their relation to Isidore. We know that there are high-ranking members of the Organization called The Seven. It has come to my attention that one of them, Tyrion Broodfinder, had been defeated by this small group in the room. As for other names, we know of Asmodeus Zod (horn mask), Namia (fox mask), and an unnamed short one (rose mask). That short list leaves 3 leaders unaccounted for…"

Roth speaks up, "And a Master Malethdar, who seems to be at the top."

William looks at Roth with raised eyebrows, as if to ask how he came by the name.

Roth continues, "We found a letter on Tyrion where this name is mentioned."

Discussion then moves into the Organization's apparent ties with the kingdom of Isidore, and who is controlling whom. Isidore has a bloody history with the western powers, and they once covered much of Eastern Nordost, along with Andra and eastern Stora, threatening the western alliances as they pushed further across Stora. Much of the east is still under their control, including the nation of Orestes and Onogoro, the dwarven kingdom. There is word that there is an underground resistance in Onogoro headed by the dwarven Prince Ukko Stormwind, but communication with the resistance is difficult. In the case of Orestes, there is no known resistance.

The crystals are brought up because it is known that the Organization is seeking these out. The white ones are known to be amplifiers of magic, and a short discussion of world history is brought out to refresh the groups memory of past events concerning the crystal. The 1st Astra Era saw the prosperity of the Azlanti race, while the 1st Umbra Era saw its destruction when the Starstone came crashing to the earth, landing in the Inner Sea. The 2nd Astra Era saw the colonizing of the Inner Sea across the ocean, and a thriving population from those colonies after the living god Aroden pulled the Starstone from the water, and resting it in the great city of Absalom. The 2nd Umbra Era saw the wiping out of those civilizations along the Inner Sea when the Starstone shattered in a great cataclysm. The discovery of Nordost and the rebuilding of civilizations marks the beginning of the 3rd Astra Era.

A few members of the group supplemented the discussion with information they had learned while in Avalon.

Sara points out, "According to a sorcerer and scholar in Avalon, the crystals are small fragments left over from the second shattering of the Starstone, and it is these crystals that the Organization is seeking for unknown reasons."

The current theories discussed are that 1) they are trying to create a large magical radius, much like Avalon, to use for various ends such as a second war with their Ally Isidore; 2) the making of a magic army; 3) to somehow corrupt the crystals into these dark crystals, possibly by using the mysterious black ichor being found in various parts of Nordost.

The group discusses the issue of the black ichor, that they know of its corrupting capabilities, and that the residual effects seem to linger. They know that the Organization seems to possess dark shards as well, but it is still unclear whether there is a connection between the shards and the ichor.

Roth crosses his arms in thought and quietly says, "We must consider the possibility that the Organization might try to take down Avalon to use the large shard. I recommend a deployment of troops to protect the city."

William nods his head and says, "You have great wisdom in that observation. Several days after Elysia fell, troops from Ani and Kish arrived in Solaris to convene a council to discuss how best to approach the current issue. Only Ani has been attacked, but Kish vamped up their guards along the border between Kish and Ani. There were no discussions about a magical force, but talks are currently underway to prepare for such an attack. We must consider Avalon as a target."

William eyes the group hopefully and continues, "We, the allied nations, hope to mount a force to collect shards. However, our own forces are still hurting from the war that ended ten years ago. We feel that a smaller band could infiltrate an area easier, and attack or get information from key members of Isidore or the Organization, on top of retrieval of course."

Lo says, "Does the council feel that the Organization and the Isidorian attacks would fall if "The Seven" were to fall? Seems logical to take out the leaders and the body of power will crumble without the leadership."

William replies, "We are unsure of how the ties to Isidore work; if Isidore is working for the Organization, or if it is the other way around."

Alex shakes his head, "We need more information before that kind of determination can be made. If we were to take one of The Seven alive..."

Tarian puts forth, "Perhaps Isidore is financially backing the Organization, since they are known for their wealth…"

Alex says, "Once there is a determination of which group is in charge, a direct attack should be made if possible. Cut them off while you have the knowledge of their locations...but they are going to where they crystals are..."

William gives them a smile as the group collectively comes to a realization of what the leaders of the allied nations want, and Sara speaks up to voice it, "So essentially, your small infiltration group will be used as bait to lure in the Organization and take members for interrogation in an ambush. Perfect..."

Roth sighs heavily, "We need to talk about tactics here. I have a worry of what the Organization can do to. Namia's ethereal whip is just one example of a power that we will have to deal with." He shudders as he recalls the pain from the week before, and simply says, "It's not nice. If your intent is to use us as bait, how do you plan to ensure we come out on top in an ambush?"

William explains, "It is our hope for you to continue to the desert to retrieve the crystal you were sent after, and hopefully somewhere along the way the Organization will find and catch you. Your job is simple: hold them off long enough for a second group to capture some of the Organization alive."

He hands the group a communication statuette, "Here. When the Organization attacks, send the messenger. My only worry is whom we might catch in the snare. They could be quite powerful."

Lo smiles and sarcastically says, "Oh no problem, we'll just use some black crystals like that damned dead orc to grow some wings and fangs to counter them."

In response, the entire group shouts, "No!"

Roth looks around at the group, each with expressions of determination and dread, "We agree to go forth with the council's plan, but with the hope that you will provide the preparation and backing for us to stay alive through the ambush."

Ginarin stands up and says, "We owe you many thanks for your aid in protecting the people of Morrona last week, and we would like to bestow some gifts upon you before you leave."

Ginarin places three objects on the table, and explains each of them: First, an enchanted rose, called a Rose of Shields. It would cast a spell shield for 10 rounds, with a petal falling after every round. Second, a shirt of large leaves, called a +2 Darkleaf Cloth Shirt made by the elves. It is tough as cured hide, but lighter. Third, a dagger in a scabbard called Heartbleed. +2 keen dagger that doubles threat range. The group thanks Ginarin, and Alex takes the rose, Myne takes the shirt, and Tarian takes the dagger, which glows red when he takes it out of the scabbard.

As the group admires their gifts, Ginarin speaks up, "It has come to my attention that you are seeking out the sorceress Eremine in Reynes, and I may know where she is. Or at least, where legends say she is. The Lehor Mountains are plagued by unnatural creatures, and at the center of it all is a tower. The entrance to the mountain passage to the tower is sealed and guarded by soldiers of Reynes so that no one can enter. The passage is simple: Head east past the town of Hiru, and follow the River Road east. The trail will veer off the Red Road, heading south and following the fork in the river. Head south until you reach the blockade."

He hands the group a signed and sealed missive, and says, "This missive is to be given to the guards on duty, and it will give you permission to enter the area. In some ways, this little detour will still allow you to make your way towards Kish. I wish each of you luck. May the Gods smile upon you. Of course, you are always welcome in Morrona."

Tarian takes the opportunity to give a plug for the Dragon's Quill in Ano Liosia, and they leave the council chamber to make their preparations for the journey.

 _ **Preparations to Reach Hiru**_

They discuss their options, and decide to try to reach the sorceress's tower before turning south to pursue the crystal in the Kishian desert. The journey is calculated to take about seven days on horseback, so they make their preparations for the full trip, knowing that they would reach Hiru part-way through. Roth purchases new armor, and a cure light wounds potion. Lo buys a net to use in battle. The group also buys rations to support them on the journey. Roth and Myne also push the discussion back to the protection of their Starstone shard. The fact that Bo had managed to pilfer it from Lo's bag so easily showed how vulnerable they really were. They both recall Bethara's tiny crystal that she wore around her neck. It seems that obtaining crystals of their own were not obtainable in Morrona, and they were likely to be far out of their price range. This brought the protection of their crystal back around, and despite knowing that it was a small help, Myne places another Fire Trap on the pouch that contains the crystal. They then decide that the best option for carrying it would be to place the pouch in Tarian's Bag of Holding, since an enemy would have to dig through the contents of the bag to get it, and it might buy the group some time.

 **11th-15th of Kuthona:** **The Journey to Hiru**

 _ **Tales of Loss and Flight**_

The group sets out for Hiru, and on the journey, they relate all their adventures to Alex, with Sara taking every opportunity to be the one to speak with him and ride next to him. They travel with relative ease as they follow the river east on the southern side through low-lying grassland, and Alex is somewhat nonplussed at the change in Sara's attitude towards him. When he had last spent time with her, she had punched him in the face at the inn. His father was worse for drink, and while he had missed the conversation that transpired between Sara and his father, he knew that it had riled her up. Alex considered himself a man of honor and justice, and when he unknowingly stepped in front of his father to stop any violence that could have erupted between them, Sara had lashed out at him and accused his father of murder. Now, here she was, talking his ear off about what the group had experienced on their travels while he was in the Anian capital with his grandfather.

The group decides to rest the horses, leading them by their reins over the grassy plains, and lets Sara and Alex lag behind to speak privately. Alex is amazed at how much she had opened up to him, and he finds himself desperate to know what had caused this change.

She smiles at him after telling the story of how they fought a giant gar on their way to Morrona, and he gives her a warm smile as he says, "That is quite the tale... I had no idea any creatures reached that size in the Megalo River. I have to admit though, I'm curious about the change in you...last time we spoke you hit me in the face."

Sara blushes at the statement, and the underlying question, tentatively saying, "Yes...about that...I'm very sorry. It means a lot to me that you would look into my mother's death, and not take my rants as baseless."

Alex nods and says, "It was the right thing to do. I have had some lingering suspicions about my father...as soon as I came back into town his manner was one that left me ashamed to be a Shieldheart. He called you and your cousin 'half-breeds' and ranted about our importance as nobles. It was horrid. After the confrontation at the inn between my father and you, I set out to find the truth of the matter."

Sara sighs, letting out a breath that indicated she was trying to steel herself to say something, and finally clears her voice to say, "And all you had to go on was my short and angered accusation. Let me explain what happened so that you know as much as I do. You know my family ran the inn...apparently your father did too. I was only nine when it happened, but I remember my mother's worry when she told my father about a run-in with your father. She had refused to follow his orders...there was a guest staying at the inn that your father wanted dead. He had ordered her to poison their food, and she refused.

"It wasn't much later, perhaps a couple of days, when I was coming back from the bakery. I took the alleyway to enter the inn through the kitchens in the back, and ran into what must have been one your father's cronies. He shoved me with his shoulder...called me a half-breed...and let me keep going. When I emerged behind the inn, I could see my mother standing by the kitchen door talking to a hulking figure of a man...I could recognize your father anywhere. I saw him looming over her, there was a flash of silver, and then my mother fell in a heap. He walked away from her like she was nothing, and I sprinted to her...there was a pool of blood spreading on the steps under her...there was nothing I could do. I screamed out...and I must have blacked out.

"I woke up later in my bed, and my father questioned me about what happened. He looked like a shell of the elf he was...I couldn't speak. I was in a trance, like it could not have happened. I would see my mother's body on the ground over and over again. When I was finally able to tell my father what had happened, and who I had seen, he left to tell a guard. Unfortunately, it seems there was plenty of gold that exchanged hands in the village, and her death was never investigated. My father was heartbroken and devastated...he sold the inn and moved us to the outskirts of town, close to my Aunt Brynn."

As Sara explains the circumstances of her mother's death, Alex listens, appalled at the brutality that Sara had witnessed.

He watches as Sara's eyes fill with tears, and she finishes with, "I have so much anger, Alex...the fire in me rises unbidden at times."

Alex wanted to hold her, and comfort her after hearing her story. He steps closer to her, stopping their walk to embrace. She steps into his arms, gripping his shoulders tightly as she shudders and sobs into his chest.

She continues, her words muffled by his chest, "And you...you come back to Kassen as a figure of honor, and seek justice on my behalf, even if it means seeking out the wrongs of your own father. What did you find during your investigation? Did you find proof of his deeds, or something else that would get you into trouble with the half-orcs that night?"

Alex holds her tightly, aware now that his father's atrocities stretched further than just Sara's mother, and it filled him with an anger that would not be sated until his father was brought to justice.

He thinks back about that night in Kassen, and urges them forward to keep up with the group, taking her by the hand as they begin to walk again as he says, "My first task was to head back to the manor, and see if I could find documents that might incriminate him. I knew he was wandering around the village drunk, so it was my best opportunity to search without his knowledge. I headed for his study after ensuring the butler was not lurking about, and began searching through his papers. I knew your mother's death happened years ago...I remember when it happened, although I was still a young boy at the time. The first thing I found was a letter from a man named Zod...concerning some deal...I believe our rogue found it later. I dug further, and found other letters discussing other deals...the deaths of others for money or information in the name of an organization. I finally found something: a letter from an organization demanding the death of a traveler...under the letter in my father's scrawl was a short note that the innkeeper was "taken care of" for her impudence; after refusing to poison the traveler, she knew too much. So many letters and notes, Sara...the man has sold our village and everything in it to this organization. I also found information concerning Lo's parents, though I'm not sure if I should tell him or not. He seems to have closure with the death of the half-orcs, but the orcs have been periodically keeping an eye on Kassen for years, trying to root out the location of a crystal that the organization knew was in the area. Sara, I will make him pay for his misdeeds, I promise you that."

Sara squeezes his hand and says, "Thank you for that, Alex. I cannot tell you what it means to me… but what of the half-orcs? What happened after you found the letters?"

Alex nods and continues, "Ah, that… I lingered too long. My father came back home, and I heard him talking to himself in his drunken state about something for the organization. He said some things that I will not repeat...it was full of venom and hate for this town, and I thought to fight him. I was angry at all the things I had found, and confronted him in the foyer. I demanded that he be brought to justice to answer for his crimes, and my father drew his sword on me. We fought, and despite the fact that he was drunk, he was a good fighter, and I could not best him. I managed to escape out the front door as the two half-orcs were about to enter the manor, and I pushed past them, sprinting for my horse Sif. I had to take my knowledge with me, and I could hear my father's shouts for the half-orcs to bring me down. I rode out of town as fast as I could...my plan at that point was just to outlast them, and make it to the Anian capital."

Sara sighs and says, "Myne and I witnessed your ride out of Kassen, followed by the two half-orcs. Something came over me, and I had to help you, since you had vowed to do so much for me...let's just say that there was a reason you only had to fend off one half-orc instead of two."

Alex smiles at her and says, "I can imagine your fury was enough to destroy him...were you or your cousin hurt?"

Sara shakes her head and says, "Thanks to a magic wand, and Myne's abilities at healing, we suffered nothing lasting, but it was a very near thing, and I worried for you."

Alex smiles and says, "And I worried for you, in Kassen with this organization."

They continue to hold hands, walking to try to catch up with the rest of the group, and each could feel a closeness gathering at the telling of the story that did not fade as the day passed.

After the first two days of easy travel, they realize how unprepared they are on the third day out. As they get closer to the mountains, the river gets choppier, and there are areas of the river with dangerous rapids. Their first day of riding through the mountains proves to be bitter cold, and none of the group thought to purchase cold-weather gear while in Morrona. They endure the worst of the cold through the night, and the second day's travels through the mountains goes easier as the group uses their spells to keep the worst of the cold away. The following day is less mountainous, and they reach Hiru by the end of the day.

 **15th of Kuthona:** **Hiru's Warm Welcome**

Hiru is a trade city located next to Lake Limni and the Megalo River. It was once a mining town, and much of the city is built using the fruits of their trade: cobblestone, brickwork, and stonework. Upon arrival, they find a shop to purchase cold weather gear for the rest of their journey, although some members opt to use their magic rather than spend the gold. They also begin the search for a possible place to spend the night, and find a large household with the Pathfinder symbol on the gate.

Tarian takes the initiative and knocks on the door, and a young half elf with long dark hair and a dark complexion opens the door. From the way he is dressed, and from the impressive house, they know they are talking with a family of quite a bit of wealth.

Tarian takes the lead for their group, "Good evening. We were wondering if we could speak to the owner of the house?"

The young half-elf gives Tarian a questioning look, "That would be my grandfather, but he only conducts business during normal hours. You may come back then."

He begins to close the door on them, but Lo interjects, "This is an urgent business matter, sir. We simply must see him."

The half-elf believes Lo's bluff, and slowly says, "I understand sir. I will fetch him immediately."

A few moments later, an elderly elf graces the front step, "Greetings, and welcome to the Felstadt residence. I understand that you have an urgent matter of business to discuss?"

Lo nods, and the elf ushers the group into his home, "Come into the dining hall, then. I am Edward Felstadt. Pleased to meet your acquaintance."

Tarian takes over the conversation again, replying, "Thank you, Mr. Felstadt for seeing us so late. Do not be alarmed though, we are allies."

At these words, he shows Edward his Pathfinder coin, "We did not want to show our coin to the younger half-elf. We know that wherever the symbol is found, it is primarily the owner of the establishment that is covertly responsible for the Pathfinder symbol and the aid given. We are in need of simple aid tonight. Please, let us introduce ourselves."

They each introduce themselves to the elf, and when Alex introduces himself, the elf remarks, "I know that name...Or I at least know of your grandfather. I was still amazed to hear that his daughter married a Shieldheart, but alas, love is strange."

Alex solemnly says, "He is recently deceased, Mr. Felstadt. If he was well-known to you, you should know that he died honorably defending the Anian capital."

Edward hangs his head, "Ah, I am sorry, and quite saddened at the news...we...are in dark times. Please, let's speak in the dining room."

The group step further into the mansion to sit by the hearth in a large room with a long table made of mahogany. A bottle of red wine is opened, and they all accept a proffered glass except for Alex, who politely declines.

Tarian speaks up first, "We thank you for your hospitality. We are looking for some information, as well as a quiet place to rest for the night before we continue on our way. We are on our way to the fabled sorceress tower to the southeast. If there is any information or aid that can be given in this endeavor, we would be very grateful."

Edward takes a sip of his wine and says, "I only know of Eremine's tower as a child's tale, and I never been in that direction myself. My business mostly keeps me here, although I do travel to Portilla occasionally."

Tarian's curiosity over the elf's success is piqued and says, "What do you do here, Edward?"

"I have a trade business, mostly valuables like precious metals and gems. Much of my business is with the southern island nation of Portilla."

At the mention of gems, Myne speaks up, "In terms of gems. Would you know how possible it would be to purchase small, personal Starstone crystals?"

Edward says, "Ah, I rarely deal in magical valuables. I do know that most small crystals for sale would probably be traded in Avalon. They are not unheard of, and I would estimate the value of one of them to be about 2,000 gold. I am not aware of any for sale at the moment, but would be more than happy to contact you if I ever come into possession of one."

Roth thinks about their hunted state and asks, "Have you seen any strange people in town; specifically wearing masks, or in dark cloaks with cowls to cover their heads?"

Edward shakes his head, "No. I have not seen anyone like that. I should mention that Hiru does see the occasional pirate or scoundrel from Portilla, but nothing out of the ordinary."

The group begin to look at him with bleary, tired eyes and he continues, "You will of course stay the night here. I would be more than happy to provide lodging for you all for the night."

He ushers the group upstairs to the bedrooms, and the offering up of his household for their needs for the night.

 **16th-18th of Kuthona:** **Tracks on the Trail and Three Roses**

 _ **Tracks in the Snow**_

The next morning the group is treated to a hearty breakfast before they set out for the tower. Tarian's desires for warm luxuries on a cold trail prompt him to purchase a bag of coffee and a coffee maker, and without much fanfare they leave Hiru and head south out of the city. After about an hour of travel on the Red Road, they find a dirt path heading east, and Roth sees that there are fresh tracks going down the path. With snow on the ground, the path is difficult to see, but the tracks are clear as they make their way. The group stays tight to the river, and the trail leads up into a forested area off the river's shore, and turns south into the mountains. At this point, the tracks diverge into the woods, and Roth decides to follow the tracks for a short distance to see if anything can be determined of them, and Tarian accompanies him. As far as the group knows, there is very little traffic on this pathway, since no one dares to tread too closely to the tower. Roth gets distracted when he sees a set of tracks belonging to a mountain lion, but Tarian sees a large hulking figure walking towards them. Tarian shoves Roth to tell him to snap out of it, and they hold steady as the figure comes closer. They perceive a bearded man with a dead deer over his shoulders, and a crossbow and quiver of bolts at his side.

He greets the two of them, "Hey gentlemen, I thought I was the only one that hunted in these here parts!"

Tarian and Roth breathe a sigh of relief and say, "Ho there, hunter. Is there anything we should know about the area? We are making our way towards the tower."

The hunter nods and says, "I am surprised to see anyone on this trail to be honest. There are very few that travel in the area. I have heard the tales of the tower, and I knows better than to travel close to it. There are dangers in that tower, but I wish you good luck if your intentions to reach the tower are unchanged."

The hunter adjusts the deer and gives them a quick wave as Roth and Tarian thank him and return to the trail. They relay the information, and the group to continue on.

 _ **Three Red Roses and Horseshoes**_

For two days, they continue to follow the trail with no activity. On the third day the river diverges south, and the trail follows the diverging river. The group continues to follow the diverging part of the trail, and by early afternoon they see a waving flag with three red roses (the nation of Reynes) perched atop a small building, with a barricade across the path. In front of the building, two soldiers - a dwarf and a human - are bundled up against the cold, throwing horseshoes around a post. As they see the group approaching, they scramble to stand guard in front of the barricade.

Roth waves a greeting to the guards, and Tarian gives a hearty, "Hello."

Alex says, "Is this indeed the path to the sorceress tower? And have you seen any activity on this path; any others trying to access the tower?"

The guards shake their heads and the dwarf says, "There has been no activity to speak of. Our post here is one of the easiest to be had in the service of Reynes. The stories and superstitions surrounding the tower have been enough deterrence to keep even the most curious at bay."

Myne says, "My sympathies for the state of your boredom on your post…"

The human guard sighs and says, "Yeah...well, we only have a couple more months to go. You are our only entertainment in days, so what business do you have on the trail?"

Roth hands the guards the missive from Genarin, and after they read it through carefully, they look incredulously at the group and open up the log gate to allow them to pass. The group gives a wave to the guards as they close the gate behind them, and with some apprehension continue up the path.


	20. Cities & Towers: 19th-20th of Kuthona

**19th of Kuthona:** **The Tower of the Sorceress**

 _ **Punishing Sorcery**_

They do not travel far up the path before the trees become scarcer, the mountains take over, and the air becomes thinner and colder. The trees they do come across are twisted and gnarled. The air feels quiet and still, and as they turn their eyes upward, they see rolling black clouds move in, close to the ground and ominous. Fifty yards in front of them, a lightning bolt crashes to the ground, then another, and another. Alex senses evil emanating from the crashing darkness, and they notice that there is very little cover to take from the storm. They decide to pick up the pace, and urge their horses forward, hoping to move quickly through the storm. Flashes of lightning crash around them, and as they push forward; the wind picks up, going from a light breeze to hurricane-force winds. Snow begins to fly in their eyes, and it becomes difficult to see anything. The severe cold punishes them and their horses, and Lo and Roth's horses begin to slow from the damaging cold.

After another hour of punishment in near-blind conditions, they hear a howl on the wind, and through the snow they see several moving figures. As they approach, they see three dark grey wolves with disfiguring mutations like bulbous humps on their backs, extra limbs sticking out from various locations, and oozing black drool coming from their mouths. They spread out to surround the group, planning their attack.

Sara misses with her Scorching Ray and Bloodline spell, while Tarian fires a crossbow bolt into one of the wolves. Alex uses Knight's Calling to force the Alpha Wolf to attack him while Roth fires a point-blank sleep arrow at one of the other wolves, and it instantly falls asleep. Myne finishes off the sleeping wolf and Rauros attacks the remaining smaller wolf, bringing it down. The Alpha Wolf moves in to hit Alex, but Alex swings his sword at its approach and hits it heavily. Lo tries to throw his net on the wolf, but the wind catches it and blows it off, and Sara hits it with a crossbow bolt, which drops it. Myne checks the wolves, and she confirms that they are afflicted with the same black ichor that they have seen before. When the group is distracted with their assessments, Lo uses Mage Hand to pour some of the black ichor oozing from the mouths of the wolves into a crystal vial.

They press on, and after an hour of riding, the winds disappear as quickly as they had come; there is no more snow on the ground, but the sky still swirls with black clouds. In the distance, they see a tower surrounded by brambles and twisted trees. As they approach the tower, they see that it looks like stacked cylinders, larger at the base and tapering as it rises. They feel the air warming as they approach the tower, and they begin to see unseasonable vegetation growing around them. In front of the tower, they see a rusted iron gate, and a dirt track is visible past it.

Tarian approaches the gate, and detects a magical trap, which he manages to disarm. The gate opens, and the group proceeds through unharmed. Past the gate, they see a garden, overgrown and wild. They see statues covered in lichen, and huge fountains with stagnant water. They can sense that there are creeping vines following them, and suddenly they hear crashing, and the breaking of branches. From around the corner of an overgrown hedge maze, a Shambling Mound appears, and two Assassin Vines following them creep up to try to bind them. The mound is eight feet in girth, and over nine feet tall. Myne knows that in it omnivorous, drawing sustenance from just about anything; it is immune to sleep. The vines resist cold and fire, and entangle their prey.

Sara casts Mirror Image, and produces 8 images of herself. Tarian tries his longbow and misses. Roth makes a point blank shot at the mound and hits, which aggravates the mound; it slams into Roth, grabbing him, pulling him off the ground, and squeezing him. Alex tries to make a Chosen Attack against the vine holding Roth but it is not enough to cut him down. One of the Assassin Vines attacks Myne, grappling her. The second vine misses Rauros. Myne tries to escape the vine, but can't, and Rauros attacks the vine on Myne. Lo knows that the mound cannot be blinded, so he readies Inspire Confidence.

Sara moves towards Alex and casts Burning Hands, doing massive damage. She can see the mound smoldering. Tarian sneaks and Lo casts to give Tarian a penetrating blow against the mound. Roth pulls himself out of the mound's grasp, tumbling away as he hits the ground. The mound attacks Alex, but the vine ricochets off his shield. Alex swings at the mound and hits, while the first assassin vine constricts Myne. The second vine misses. Myne can't escape the vine, but Rauros destroys the vine around her. Lo readies another Inspire song.

Sara casts Burning Hands again, and hits. Tarian sneaks to the mound again, and with Lo casting another Inspiring dance, Tarian shoots the mound for massive damage, and the mound keels over. Roth draws his sword against the remaining vine, but swings and misses. The vine goes after Alex but misses. Myne misses, but Rauros lands one claw on the vine. Lo swings and misses with his sword. Sara hits with a crossbow bolt, and Tarian hits with a longbow shot. Roth takes another swing with his sword, and the vine is hacked apart.

They examine the mound and vines, but find nothing of value in the tangled mess. The garden is quiet, and they continue to make their way to the tower entrance. They pass another large fountain, and there is so little noise that they can hear the buzzing of mosquitoes around it. They come to the base of the tower, and find stairs leading up to the entrance, with two large doors that are taller than they are wide. They climb the steps, try the door, and find it locked. Tarian sees that there is nothing special about the doors, but it takes him a few tries to get the lock picked. They pull the doors open, and step into a grand vestibule, with tapestries depicting runes, and rich carpeting on the floor. Unlike the neglected garden outside, the inside looks well cared-for and lived in. There are green flickering lanterns giving an eerie light to the room, and the runes depict schools of divine and arcane magic. Opposite the entrance, to the east, they see tall slender doors, and to the north and south are pairs of smaller doors.

 _ **First Floor: Kitchenware, Dining, Office Supplies, and Demon Worship**_

The group decides to try one of the smaller doors first, facing north. They find the door opens for them, and behind the door they see a meeting room with a long wooden table, an end table, and some other furnishings. Tarian searches the room and finds a piece of parchment in the end table that appears to be some kind of diary entry:

All around me I see the cycle over and over again. For 340 winters, I have witnessed the passing wars. The peace, when it comes, never lasts and blood is spilt once again. I have seen those whom I love fall to violence. I have seen men, once allies, become enemies. Why must this all repeat? What forces in our world spin the wheel of fate for life and death? I look towards the gods for answers, but they do not grant me an audience.

To the east is another doorway which opens to a hallway. They head to the right, and find that the door is locked. It takes Tarian a couple tries to pick the lock, but it finally opens for him. As he is fidgeting with the lock, a rip in their reality opens behind them, two scaly-looking demons come through the rift, and it then closes behind them.

Lo tries to speak to them, "Hey guys, I'm totally on your side…just hanging out...doing some demon things..."

They are not convinced.

Sara fires a crossbow bolt and misses while Roth fires a sleep arrow and hits, but it does not put the demon to sleep. Tarian fires a shot from his longbow that hits and he then sneaks around a corner. The first demon attacks Roth, and scratches and bites at him. The second demon bites Sara. Lo knows that these creatures are outsiders, immune to electricity and poison, with a resistance to acid, cold, and fire. They are often used as familiars for spellcasters. He tries to throw a net over one of the demons, but it misses. Alex immediately rushes to aid Sara and slashes at the demon attacking her. Myne and Rauros also run to Sara, and stab, bite, and claw the demon.

Sara tries to use Burning Hands, but the demon dodges it. Roth tries another sleep arrow, which hits, but the demon doesn't go to sleep. Tarian sneaks, and tries to hit with his bow but misses. The first demon claws at Roth, and the second claws and bites Sara. Lo throws a net on the first demon, and it is caught. Alex attacks the demon that is not netted, and the slice of his sword cuts the demon down, splattering Sara with its blood. Rauros bites and claws at the demon in the net, which dispatches it. In quiet apology, Alex hands Sara a handkerchief to clean the demon blood off her robes, which she gratefully accepts from him.

Behind the door they see a circular room with a spiral staircase in the middle. The group decides it is best to search the first floor before continuing up, so they continue south to another doorway. It is not locked, and inside they see a large worship hall. There are black stone benches, and a vast marble staircase with symbols carved into each step that ascends to a platform in the center. On the platform is a pedestal with a giant gold mask that has no features except eyes set with rubies, which makes red light shine through, making the whole room glow with an eerie red glow. Alex hasn't heard much about this mask, but in his studies he vaguely remembers writings on an ancient dead god named Abaddon, a chaotic evil god that hasn't had worshipers in a very long time. Knowing that they were hoping to find an ally in the sorceress, and fearing the chaotic evil god symbolized in the room, the group makes an agreement to not take anything belonging to the sorceress. As they search around the hall, Myne finds another piece of parchment underneath a bench:

 _I have found this place, perched high in the mountains of Reynes. There is a chaos to this place; as if the wall between ours and another is thin. I can draw upon a magic I never could before. Perhaps it is here, where our worlds are so close, that the gods will hear my voice._

They also see a hallway leading east off the hall. Tarian detects a mechanical trap in the hallway that covers the entire floor, and manages to disable it. The group finds a small, windowless room with a dim green light. There are many artistic pieces such as paintings and vases. Tarian senses another trap towards the center of the room near a tall pedestal with a scepter on it, and he disables this one as well before lifting the scepter to inspect it. Sara can tell that it is magical in nature, and appraises it as a Rod of Empower Spell. Myne worries about taking anything, but the desire to have the rod to help the group trumps the fear, and Sara takes it.

They make their way back to the spiral staircase and continue north down the hallway off the meeting room. The door is unlocked, and when they open it they find a kitchen that invades their senses with the foul stench of rotting vegetables and meat. They see a door set in the south part of the kitchen, and rather than wait for Tarian to check it, Alex simply breaks it down. A swarm of spiders emerges from the small room, and crawls all over Alex. He begins to scream and jump around as the spiders find their way in between his armor, and Tarian frantically searches the kitchen unsuccessfully for flint and tinder. He gives up, and tries to trip out Alex's legs to smush some of the spiders under his armor, but it doesn't work. Sara casts Elemental Ray on the paladin, burning up the spiders and slightly singeing Alex and the nearby Tarian in the process. When they look into the room, they find a pantry with a chest containing a pouch of 52 gold pieces, a set of two silver, six-sided dice, and a bone tube containing a Scroll of Prayer. They give the gold to Myne, and Tarian is interested in the dice. When Tarian tries to test out the dice, Alex quickly bends one of the die to prevent any unwanted curses from befalling them. A chipper Lo keeps the good one (agreeing to not test it out), and Tarian keeps the mutilated one. Lo also takes the Scroll of Prayer.

East of the kitchen they find another hallway that curves to the south, and they find another unlocked door. When they open it, they find a dining room with a long table in the middle and chairs all around. There is a decaying meal on the table, and the smell of stale wine in the air. On the east wall is a large fireplace with cold coals in the grate. Roth looks at the food, and determines that it has sat on the table for a few weeks. They notice four pedestals set in the four corners of the room, each set with a different colored stone cube. Sara knows that they are magical, and they realize that each color must mean something. They are colored red, green, blue, and white. Sara thinks it might be elementally related, so she lights the red cube on fire, and it begins to glow. Myne pours water from her bottle onto the blue one, and it too glows. Sara takes coal out of the fireplace and puts it on the green cube while Tarian blows on the white one, and they each glow. From the center, the large table pulls apart, and a stone pedestal rises, and set upon it is a cube with no color.

They see the following words inscribed upon it:

 _Say you'd never seek to lose me._

 _While you live we cannot part._

 _I must dwell lifelong inside you,_

 _Locked within your beating heart._

Understanding dawns on Alex, and he cuts his hand with his sword, letting the blood drop onto the cube. It opens to reveal a golden key that Alex takes. Tarian unlocks the door on the western side of the dining room to reveal the circular room with the staircase: they had explored the entire first floor. It had been a long day, and the exhausted party knew that their best option was to try to rest for the night and then press on the next morning. They head back to the meeting room and barricade the doors with furniture. Roth volunteers to take first watch, and Myne asks Rauros to stay with Roth while she sleeps.

Alex makes himself comfortable on his bedroll, and closes his eyes to sleep. He hears a bedroll being laid out beside him, and then feels the soft, warm touch of Sara as she curls up next to him. Unsure of how to respond to her affections, but wanting her near him, he pretends to already be asleep. He smiles to himself as she wraps an arm around his chest, and softly kisses the back of his neck. She knows he's not asleep, but is happy enough that he allows her to stay there next to him.

As the party sleeps, Roth is alerted to a rift that opens in the room, and out flies a demon, and the rift closes behind it. Roth hits it with a point-blank sleep arrow, and it falls asleep. Rauros enthusiastically rips the demon's head off, and the rest of Roth's shift passes by uneventfully, albeit Roth wears a grin on his face from their quick encounter. When Tarian takes up his shift after Roth, Tarian is slightly surprised to see the dead demon on the floor, and a very proud bear sitting next to it.

 **20th of Kuthona:** **The Tower of the Sorceress**

 _ **Second Floor: Butler Supplies, Animatronics, and Luxury Items**_

The next morning, the group ascends the spiral staircase, with Tarian going first to look for traps. At the top of the stairs, they feel the temperature is higher than it was on the floor beneath, and they step out onto a balcony with another large golden mask with a gem in the center of the forehead. It seems to depict the same god they saw downstairs. There is stained glass, and a set of shining silver double doors with eyes carved into them, and beneath the eyes are carved dozens of individuals holding up wealth to the eyes. The door is locked, but the key they found in the dining room downstairs fits the keyhole, and the door unlocks.

What they see behind the door looks like servant's quarters. They see beds, robes, discarded food, and other detritus that makes the room look like it has been trashed. There is another door set into the south wall that is locked. Tarian picks the lock, and they find a small storage room that has eight bottles of wine from Orestus worth 25 gold each, and another four empty ones. There is also a chest, and when opened, it reveals a simple silver necklace, 241 copper pieces, 59 silver pieces, 2 gold, and an expensive silver necklace studded with small gems worth about 100 gold. Their qualms about taking items has faded in light of the growing fear that what they would find in the tower was not going to be friendly towards them, so Tarian takes the items and places them in the bag of holding to disperse and sell later.

As they leave the servants quarters, another rift opens, and a medium-sized demon recognized as a Dretch demon comes out. The group knows that they are used for physical labor, and they are the lowest demons filled with the drive to spread ruin and dismay. They are foul and brutal. Alex steps in front of Sara when the demon approaches, and Lo casts his net over it to stop it in its tracks. Roth hits it with a sleep arrow, but it doesn't fall asleep, and Tarian sneaks up to stab it in the back. Rauros claws at it, Sara hits it with her crossbow, and Alex steps up to take its head off with his sword. For whatever reason, Lo decides to keep the head in the net, and Alex takes the time to wipe the demon goo from his sword on the demon's loin cloth.

They make their way back to the balcony, and head north down a hallway that sweeps to the east. They find a door on their left, which when opened reveals a barracks. There are several cots and a couple small chests, and above one of them is a piece of parchment hanging on the wall that reads:

 _A farmer returns from the market with a she-goat, a cabbage, and a wolf._

 _He must cross a river, but he can only take one thing with him at a time._

 _He cannot leave the she-goat alone with the cabbage because she will eat it,_

 _and he cannot leave the she-goat alone with the wolf because the wolf will eat her._

 _How does the farmer get all his market purchases across the river safely?_

Sara, a fan of puzzles and riddles, immediately knows the answer to this classic riddle. She says to take the goat across first, and come back. Then take the cabbage over, and bring back the goat. Next take the wolf over, go back alone, and then lastly take the goat back over. As she answers this out loud, the letters glow, and next to a bed stand a key appears. Tarian takes the golden key, and they open the chests to unfortunately find nothing but rotting food and empty bottles.

They continue further down the hallway to the east, and it arcs to the south. They see that there is a set of oak double doors that are locked, and Tarian tries the key that works in the lock. As they enter, they see that the hallway widens, and set in one side is a stack of masks arranged into a humanoid shape. Lo recognizes that it is a golem made of masks welded together.

A voice booms out from the chamber, "Who are your true gods?"

Alex draws his sword, while Roth and Myne say in unison, "Gozreh!"

Tarian and Lo say, "Abaddon."

The voice replies, "The one true answer is power!"

At these words, the golem comes to life and steps off the platform it stood on.

Alex steps in front of Sara again as Roth shoots an arrow and hits it. Tarian knows that the Golem is immune to magic, vulnerable to sonic damage, and he passes on this information to the group before stealthing behind the golem. Alex runs and slashes at the Golem, and it hits Alex hard in retaliation. Seeing the damage that Alex took from the hard-hitting Golem, Sara casts mage armor on Alex to protect him. Myne heals Alex and Rauros bites at the Golem. Lo readies an Inspire Confidence song.

Lo gives his song to Roth as he fires a shot with his sonic bow, and hits. Tarian fires his longbow and hits, and Alex slashes with his sword. The Golem's fist is blocked by Alex's shield, but it still hits him hard. Sara's crossbow bolt misses, and Myne heals Alex again while Rauros slashes at the Golem. Lo readies another Inspire Confidence song.

Lo gives his confidence song to Roth again, who hits. Tarian hits with his longbow, and Alex connects but doesn't do damage. The Golem disconnects all its masks, and begins to swarm the room, hitting Tarian, Lo, Roth, Myne, Rauros, and Sara with a mask. Sara fires a crossbow and hits, and Rauros delivers a devastating round of biting and clawing. Lo tries to attack with Bat Swarm, but misses the masks.

Roth shoots and hits again, and Tarian catches a mask with his bag of holding. Alex hits with his sword, and the masks hit Lo, Myne, and Sara. Sara hits with her crossbow, and Rauros goes on a killing spree, swiping at the rest of the masks until they all fall to the floor motionless.

At the west end of the hall, they hear a click as though a door has been unlocked. Lo uses a Cure Light Wounds potion before Tarian opens a set of golden doors to find an ascending staircase. They decide to finish exploring the floor, and make their way to the southern end of the hallway which begins to curve to the west. They reach a door set into the east wall, which is locked. It takes Tarian a couple tries before he can work the door open, and when it opens they see a treasury with three chests. The first is small, and Tarian unlocks it easily; it contains 14 sacks of copper (200 copper each). On the second chest, Tarian does not sense any traps, but when he unlocks it, a trap is sprung and he gets hit with Giant Wasp Poison. After he recovers from the trap, he looks inside and sees four bags of gold (200 gold in each) which they split as evenly as possible between their party (150 gold each); a small darkwood case (worth 40 gold) inscribed with the symbol of Rovagug (an evil god in spider form), inside which are set five moonstones worth 200 gold each; three empty vials, and set of horseshoes. Sara senses that the horseshoes are magical, and she determines that they are Horseshoes of Speed, which can allow a horse to run faster. The third chest opens without incident, and they find two Potions of Cure Moderate Wounds (Sara takes one, Lo takes the other, but trades it to Tarian for his Light Wounds potion); a Potion of Gaseous Form; and a vial with a single application of Oil of Invisibility. They make their way back to the staircase, and ascend.

 _ **Third Floor: Books, Bedding, and Intimate Accessories**_

As they reach the landing on third floor the temperature becomes very uncomfortable. It feels like the hottest of the sweltering summer days in a desert. There is also the smell of perfume and incense that wafts in the air in the circular, opulent room they find themselves in. Sara, fearing for the comfort of Alex in his armor, casts Endure Elements on the paladin. They take in the scene of a beautiful throne room with crimson-red silk curtains, plush pillows, a waterpipe, some empty bottles, and a gilded throne set with gemstones on the north wall. They notice that there are bones scattered around the room that have a charred look to them. There is a hidden source of flickering light, and they find that behind the curtains are two doors, one set in the south side and one to the west.

They decide to try the south door first, and when Tarian picks the lock, it opens into a library and study space. There is a desk in the center with many pieces of rolled up parchment upon it, including another diary entry:

 _It came to me in a vision as I lay looking up into the black sky of night. It was the eyes I saw first; a pair of brilliantly burning eyes. The rest of the face was plain, like a mask. Then I heard his voice. He told me the truth of our world. He took me by the hand. He showed me where to find that which brings us power._

There is also a small desk in the corner with a black quill sitting on a half-finished love poem to Eremine to celebrate love. Along the walls are shelves lined with chained books. Tarian and Sara both decide to look at the titles for things of interest. Tarian looks for history; old kingdoms and the cataclysmic events of the land, and he finds a title called _Old Kingdoms of Cheliax_ volumes 1  & 2\. Myne knows that Cheliax is not on their continent, and that it is a kingdom in the Inner Sea, across the ocean. Sara looks for books of magic, and Myne helps her look. They find a completed wizard spellbook in two volumes.

In the large desk in the center, Tarian finds a gold dagger with colorful gemstones at the back of the drawer. It is mostly ornamental, and not magical, and they notice that there is dark blood on the blade. It is recognized as a dagger from the Island nation of Portilla, worth about 5000 gold. They also find a plaque on one wall written in elvish saying the following:

 _Who makes it has no need for it._

 _Who buys it has no use for it._

 _Who uses it can neither see nor feel it._

The group bends their thoughts to the puzzle, and many ideas are thrown out like music, money, light; among others. They sit on it for close to a half hour before an offhand comment from Alex about someone that is dead not being able to know or feel anything sparks the answer from Sara: _a coffin_.

As she says it, the sound of a click is heard at the desk, and the top of the desk unlocks and opens to reveal a rapier. Sara can tell it is magical; it is a Rapier of Corrosion, and upon command the weapon becomes slick with acid, but it does not harm the wielder. Tarian takes the rapier, and gives his Heartbleed Dagger to Myne.

They leave the library and head for the door set in the west wall of the throne room. Tarian tries to unlock it, but cannot seem to get it to budge. With a feeling of triumph, he sticks his rapier into the lock and the acid corrodes the lock. They enter a bedroom with a large woven carpet in the center in the shape of a mask. A large plush bed on the south wall faces a carved oak desk on the other side. All the furnishings and bedding are very opulent, and the plush bedding almost seems out of place when they notice a small whip and manacles next to the bed.

On the desk, they find four vials of exotic perfume, worth 50 gold each, and two bottles of Solarian brandy worth 20 gold each. Myne and Tarian notice two more pieces of parchment under the bed and desk, and hastily pick them up to read:

 _I found them deep within the rock of the mountain. They are two, but are meant to be as one. He has shown me their true nature. He is with me always now, guiding me, I can feel him close to my body like a warm fire._

 _Look at them out there. They are like ants that scurry along the ground on their bellies. They think they are in control. They think they have control over their lives. It is laughable. They are nothing but puppets doomed to their single common fate: death. They all succumb to it. None are safe from its grasp._

Tarian finds that the bottom drawer of the desk is locked. He unlocks it with his rapier, and finds a small leather bag with 50 platinum pieces, and a Silver Raven Figurine of Wondrous Power, which turns into a metallic raven to bear a message.

On the north side of the room is another ornate golden door that is locked. Tarian tries to pick the lock, which doesn't work, and when he tries the rapier he is met with no success again. Alex tries the blunt approach and attempts to break down the door with his brute force, but the door doesn't give way completely. Alex rushes it again, and manages to put a dent in the door. They notice that the door is radiating heat, and feels warm to the touch. Tarian and Alex decide to try to work together, and with Tarian working the lock and Alex giving a strong shove, the door breaks off the lock and swings open. They are met with a blast of hot air that takes their breath away, and they see a set of stairs curving upwards.

 _ **Fourth Floor: Windows, Divine Intervention, and Beyond**_

The heat is almost unbearable as they climb the stairs, and emerge onto a plain stone floor at the top of the tower. The top of the tower is completely enclosed in glass, with granite supporting the sides of the enclosure. On one side of the enclosure is a 15 square-foot raised dais made of grey, stone block. A mask is carved into the top, and two crystals of the same size as the ones the group carries - one white and one black - stand next to each other on a stone pedestal, making an arc of energy that connects to a tear in the world. From the rift, burning flames are seen, and they flicker out from the portal into their world like tongues from a snake's mouth. In front of this rift stands a female elf shrouded in a black mist. She is wearing a mask on her face with two slits for the eyes, a crimson red gown and hooded cloak, and from around her neck an amulet of green agate glows with a blue light.

Sara tries to see if she can recognize the plane beyond the rift, but she is not sure where it is. She knows that demons come from the Abyssal Plane, so she assumes that she must be looking into one of those planes. She decides the best course of action is to close the rift, and she hopes that by removing one of the crystals, the arc of energy will stop, and the rift will close. She sneaks close to the sorceress and the crystals, and as she nears the dais, she sees that the crystals are surrounded by a magical energy, and she would have to put her hand through that energy in order to reach the shard. She decides to try the Mage Hand spell with her necklace, and when the hand touches the magical barrier, the hand dissipates and fails.

Myne tries to assess the sorceress, and sees that the sorceress is aware of their presence, and quietly stares at them. She fears that the sorceress is possessed or evil, but she holds out hope that the sorceress might still recognize an old name.

She calls out to the sorceress, "We are here on Lord Kassen's behalf for the third piece of the medallion!"

In response, the sorceress opens her mouth, and the voice that comes out is not that of a female elf; it is the deep, crackling voice of animated fire. It seems that she is speaking in a language that no one in the group can understand. It confirms for Myne that the sorceress is at the least possessed, and uses Entangle to wrap the sorceress in vines that burst out from the stone floor. She doesn't want to harm the sorceress, so she holds Rauros at bay. She also fears what would happen if she touched the sorceress or the crystals behind her.

Alex had been barraged with the presence of evil emanating from the sorceress and the rift behind her as soon as they stepped onto the simple stone floor. His thoughts are solely to destroy the evil in front of him, so he kneels and prays to Iomedae, and then rushes the sorceress, hitting her with his sword. Lo knows that the sorceress is still vulnerable to magic spells, so he tries to Blind her, but it doesn't work. Roth, like Myne, is hesitant to hit the sorceress, and instead decides to take Sara's lead and aims an arrow at the black crystal, hoping to knock it off the pedestal. He manages to hit the shard, and the magic surrounding the shards flickers momentarily. Eremine rips the vines off her arms and they turn to ash at her feet. From the rift, a faint thin flame leaps out and wraps gently around Roth's body. It does not harm him, but he fears what it might do. Tarian also decides to aim for the shards instead of the sorceress, but instead of hitting the shard he accidentally hits Sara in the arm.

Sara casts Mirror Image and makes two images while Myne, after much hesitation (she doesn't want to touch the magic barrier around the crystals, but she fears destroying the person that might still be in the possessed body of Eremine), she shouts a prayer to Gozreh, and both she and Rauros charge the sorceress. Myne misses, but Rauros manages to swipe her with his claws. Alex tries to cast Smite Evil, but misses. Lo readies an Inspire Confidence spell, and Roth takes another well-aimed shot at the black crystal, which makes the magical field flicker more. Eremine lifts a finger, and a flash of light comes out in front of her, which bursts into a halo of fire. Lo goes unconscious from the heavy impact of the burst while Roth regains his senses in time to see a torrent of hellfire riding along the wisp of flame wrapped around him and dodges out of the way before it ignites around him. A new thin flame emerges from the rift and wraps around Rauros. Tarian takes a shot at the black crystal again, and again his shot is so terrible that the bolt goes whizzing by Sara's head.

Sara uses the Rod, and empowers her Scorching Ray, which explodes on the sorceress, and her robe's bloodline spell misses. Myne casts Cure Moderate Wounds on Lo to bring him back to consciousness and replenish his health while Rauros slashes but misses hitting the sorceress. Alex swings his sword and misses and Lo readies another Inspire Confidence spell. Roth hits the black crystal with an arrow again, and the magical field flickers more violently. Sensing the holy power in Alex, Eremine slashes at him with a curved elven blade, but Alex dodges and blocks her slashes. The flames flicker again, and tether around Rauros. Tarian finally makes a shot at the crystal with his bow, and Sara breathes a sigh of relief.

Sara uses the Rod again, and casts Elemental Ray at the sorceress and the crystals behind her. The magic field around the black crystal dissipates, and Eremine collapses to her knees as the arc of energy from the two crystals is broken, and the rift closes in on itself. Eremine screams with rage, her eyes scorch and her entire body burns like hellfire.

Her skin burns away, and she shouts in the crackling deep voice from before, "You lowly creatures will not take me! You will all burn!"

At those words she explodes, the glass dome shatters, and Lo, Rauros and Myne are hit hard by the impact of the explosion. The group looks up to see a 32 foot tall flaming creature: it vaguely holds the shape of a humanoid, but they are not quite sure if what they are looking at is an elemental or the demonic being that had taken over Eremine pushed away from the body. It rages at them, roaring in defiance. Behind the creature, the crystals fall to the ground motionless.

A cool breeze blows in, pushing away the dust and shards of glass, and on the air Myne hears a whisper on the wind and catches a glimpse of an old man with a long white beard who says, "May you be the tranquil stream among the chaos. Bring water to those you care most for."

At those words, a ten-foot radius of soothing soft light envelops the group, and they all regain their full strength back. Myne bows her head at the sight, and gives a silent thank you to Gozreh, still in awe at the fleeting presence of her god.

Sara uses the Rod and casts Burning Hands on the creature, but the spell seems to just seep into itself. Seeing this, she rushes over and grabs the white crystal from the ground to keep it safe. Myne accidentally drops her dagger and Rauros misses as well. Lo uses a readied dance to inspire Alex, who Smites the flaming creature for massive damage. Lo readies a Mage Hand spell while Roth hits the creature with an arrow. The creature slams into Alex, one hit bounces off his shield and the other hits him hard on the shoulder. Alex also endures the intense heat of the creature, but it harms him further. Roth and Lo also take damage from the burst of heat that blasts them all. Tarian moves close to the pedestal, and sneaks around secretively.

Sara tries to use the Rod but misses, but Myne turns into a mountain lion to claw and bite alongside Rauros for massive damage to the burning creature. It writhes in agony and seems to be unstable from the blows. Alex swings and misses, while Lo takes the demon head out of his bag and charges the elemental, throwing the head at it. The head misses its target, and falls over the edge of the tower, making a sad plop when it hits the ground and rolls out of sight. Roth takes aim and hits the creature with another arrow, and it becomes more unstable. The fire creature takes aim at Alex, but his blows miss the paladin. Another burst of fire from the creature damages Lo, Myne, and Alex. Tarian tries to sneak up to the creature to stab it but misses.

Sara casts Chill Touch, enveloping the fire creature in an Icy Wrath, and the whole shape of the being collapses in on itself, disappearing. A blast of fire from the collapse hits Rauros, Lo, and Roth, and they are all blown backward slightly. As the dust settles, they see the body of a female elf on all fours gasping for breath where the fire creature stood. She rolls onto her back, and as the group approaches her they see her skin turn pale, and her eyes and hair start to lose color. Myne tries to heal the elf as her life force starts to dissipate, but there is nothing that she can do for the elf.

The group hears an ominous whisper in the air as they quietly tend to the elf, "You may defeat this body of flesh, but I will find another!"

The elf turns up to Myne and says, "I am back. You have released me. I am sorry for my weakness. I became obsessed with locating knowledge explaining our existence, and something found me. It was chaos, and it nestled in my mind. It gave me great power at the expense of my soul."

She gasps as she continues, "My life force is nearly gone. The crystals, the black is the darkness of the world, but they are two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other."

She unclasps the amulet from around her neck, and places it around Myne's neck, "Keep it safe, it unlocks the treasure that Kassen, Asar, and I found. It was far to the north, along the coast of Argos; it was hidden in ice for so long, and we found it: Azlanti."

The last word is a whisper as Eremine crumbles into dust, and fades into the breeze. With the heat of the rift gone, the cold of the mountains moves in on them, and they spend a few moments in silence for the passing of Eremine. When they stand and look around, they notice that the black crystal is gone.

Myne immediately turns to Tarian and Lo, who regularly attempt to take things that they should not meddle in, "Where is it? Rauros, root it out of them!"

At her command, Rauros Intimidates the stammering rogue and bard into talking, but they say everything along the line of, "It must have rolled off the edge of the tower!" and "I swear I don't even remember seeing a black crystal…"

Their answers are a bluff that she accepts. They begin to make their way back downstairs, and on their way Tarian manages to pop an emerald out of its setting on the throne, and in the garden outside Lo searches for the head that he had lobbed over the edge during the fight. He manages to find the half-frozen head in a bush near the tower, joyfully returning the ridiculous trophy to his pack. Outside, the cold of the mountains has taken over once more, and the whole garden is sparkling with frost.


	21. Surviving Elements: 21st-23rd of Kuthona

**21st of Kuthona:** **Leaving the Tower Behind**

 _A crackling campfire gives off light in the dark. White, puffy flakes of snow fall from the sky, and no one is visible next to the fire. A young girl can be heard crying: she has dark hair, and her skin and clothes look charred. She is crying beside a lifeless body. Close by is an overturned caravan, and more bodies can be seen lying among the wreckage as more overturned and charred caravans come into view. Standing above them, with red hair and ruby robes blowing in the wind is a young woman with an aura of flames around her._

Alex wakes up screaming from his vision, and he finds himself on the floor in the dining room of the sorceress's tower. The group had decided to head back into the tower to make their camp for the night, exhausted from their efforts of reaching Eremine the night before. Now, in the early morning hours, the room is stifling, and Alex is covered in sweat. He sits up, and reaches out to touch the stone wall, which is comfortingly cool in comparison. The cold air of the mountains has already reclaimed this tower, and the stones absorb the icy outdoors. The rest of the group is roused from their bedrolls, and they sit up in various stages of alarm to stare at Alex as he tries to compose himself: Tarian has sat up and drawn his sword on reflex, but others, like Sara at his side, have not even stirred.

Alex breathes deeply, looking around at all the alarmed eyes on him, "I'm sorry...I...I must have been having a bad dream. I'm fine, let's just try to get back to sleep."

After a couple glances at Alex's state, everyone settles back down into their bedrolls to sleep. They sleep off the last hours of the night, and morning brings quiet and calm as the group packs their belongings. Tarian pulls the coffee out of his bag of holding and makes a pot, Sara and Alex quietly flirt with each other over their breakfast, and Myne examines the agate amulet with wonder and curiosity, wondering about the significance of the stone that glowed so blue for Eremine. She tucks it under her shirt, careful to conceal the valuable amulet, but keep it safe at her breast.

Eremine fascinates Myne, and she thinks back to the letters and the charred remains of another that were found in her bedroom. Her curiosity about Eremine's potential lover gets the best of her, and she heads back to the throne room where they found the charred bones of another person. Roth goes with her just in case, and while the two of them do not find out anything more about Eremine or her lover, they do find a couple of maps, one with a marked path from the tower to Kassen, and another with lands to the northeast of Ani. They bring the maps back to the rest of the group to discuss their findings and their next steps. They decide to push through the mountains south to try to make their way into Kish, and Roth recalls a pass through the mountains that would take them southwest, but would be the fastest route out of the mountains. Based on the distance and the relative ease of travel the pass would provide, they assume that they will be out of the mountains by the night of the 3rd day out. As they finish final preparations to leave, Myne attempts a new Remove Disease spell on Tarian's hand, which has no effect, to her disappointment, although she did not have her hopes up.

Upon entering the garden, they see that it is now cold, with a veneer of white sparkling snow coating every surface. Myne takes the time to try to find any herbs that might have been spared from the cold, and finds a bunch of mint, cloves, and oregano. They head south in the direction of the pass that will take them through the mountains with relative ease. It is a comfortable ride, the clouds move overhead, bringing with it a light snow that picks up slightly as they begin to descend.

The mountainside is packed with hard snow, but when the group begins to move over the pack, Roth feels the mountainside begin to move under his feet. Alex's horse stumbles on a rock, and he falls off the horse, his armor clanging loudly as he hits the snow. The sound startles Rauros, and he lets out a roar of surprise. They look up to see the top of the mountain give way, and what looks like a cloud of smoke slides towards them at an alarming rate. As they are overtaken by the avalanche, Roth, Tarian, and Sara manage to maneuver around the collapsing snow, while Myne pulls her way through. Myne turns to see Rauros being pulled beneath the snow, and turns to try to pull him out. She can't get him out, but she refuses to leave his side, so she holds onto him as they both get pulled beneath the snow. Tarian sees Lo get pulled under, and uses his grappling hook and throws the hook out close enough to Lo for him to grab hold of it and pull himself out. Sara sees Alex getting pulled under, and she casts an Empowered Fireball ahead of the wave of snow, which blasts the snow to a slushy mess in front of him. The snow settles, and they all dig themselves out from the snow, finding that it has pushed them far down the mountainside with little damage to themselves or the horses. With a few more hours of hiking, they make it to the pass they were looking for: a river bed that had dried long ago. The way is rocky, and there is very little vegetation. The sky darkens earlier than usual because of some cloud cover, and they find a flat patch of ground to make camp for the night. Roth volunteers for first watch, and Myne asks Rauros to join him. Tarian and Lo take the second watch, and Alex volunteers for the third watch.

 **22nd of Kuthona:** **Night Watch Escapades & Ghost Town**

 ** _An Interrupted Night's Watch_**

Alex slowly surfaces from sleep in the predawn darkness as he feels himself being shaken awake by Tarian. The paladin runs a hand over his face, fingers dragging along his cheeks and chin to pull himself fully out of a dream he was having...a dream that he was glad the others were not privy to. He had never before known the touch of a woman, but as of late he had grown closer to the fiery sorceress within their group, and his thoughts must have drifted to Sara in his sleep. He blinks as he tries to suppress the lingering vision of kissing the length of Sara's neck as her eyes slid shut in pleasure. He closes his eyes hard at the remnants of the dream, vividly seeing himself pull her ruby red robes away from her chest, dropping the garment to her waist as she smiles invitingly at him.

He holds back a groan and opens his eyes again, focusing on the elf and murmuring, "Alright, I'm up. I'll be out in a minute."

He carefully dresses, shaking away the last wisps of the dream and trying to focus on the task at hand: his shift at watch is next. Tarian and Lo needed rest, having the roughest shift of all. Despite his dislike of the two, they had done their duty to the group by allowing Sara and Myne to rest and recoup their magical energies. Alex pulls aside the flap of his tent, and slowly walks out to the bonfire where Tarian and Lo were gathering up their belongings, stretching their arms and legs, and yawning with bleary eyes.

Alex whispers, "Go on, I'm here."

The two give him a smile of thanks and shuffle towards their tents as Alex drops his shield against a nearby tree stump and seats himself on a fallen log by the fire. He runs his hands through his dark hair again, still trying to wake himself up fully when he sees movement from one of the other tents. After a moment, Sara emerges from her tent wrapped loosely in her blanket, auburn hair slightly tousled from sleep and chemise swaying gently with her sleepy shuffle.

The sight of her sends Alex's blood rushing again as he gives her a smile that he hopes hides the dream that continues to linger in his mind, _Gods, did she hear my thoughts or something?_

He watches her return the smile as she bundles herself up further in her blanket and softly pads towards him.

When she is close enough to hear him, he whispers, "What are you doing up? You should be asleep like the others."

He watches her grey eyes light with a small orange glow that he supposed was a reflection from the fire as she whispers back, "I...I must have heard you guys changing shifts, and I knew I would not be able to go back to sleep. Would you like some company?"

Alex takes a hard swallow as he watches the girl continue to walk towards him; her form was one that had always been pleasing to any eye, but to Alex, the sight of her was waking thoughts and desires that he had never before entertained.

He nods at Sara, inviting her to join him on the log with a wave of his arm, and he admires her smile, her soft pale skin, her almost exotic almond-shaped eyes burning with the flames of the bonfire, _Gods she is beautiful_ …

He inhales as she sits down next to him, and smells a light flowery scent from her bedclothes and hair, and has to take another deep swallow as she shuffles along the log to sit close to him. She gives him a smile before turning to the fire, giving a quiet, * _mmmm_ * as she feels the warmth of the fire on her face. He wants to put his arm around her, but finds the sheer task of lifting his arm to be insurmountable. He settles for leaning close to her with the excuse of trying to keep watch over a difficult patch of brush beside her, cursing himself for his lack of confidence. They sit in companionable but somewhat awkward silence, enjoying the fire's warmth with Alex occasionally standing to take a walk around the perimeter of the camp to ensure all was well. After returning to his seat, fresh from a patrol of the bushes, he finds Sara still seated at the fire where he left her, but she somehow looked different to him, and he could not place why or how.

He tries to not let the feeling bother him as he sits down again next to her, and says, "All is still well. I'm surprised at how dark it still is...seems like morning should be coming soon."

He watches her turn away from the fire to smile at his return and whispers, "I'm glad for the darkness. I don't know if I want morning to come yet."

Alex takes a hard gulp as she places a hand on his leg, softly leaving it there as she turns and snuggles closer to him, placing her head on his chest with a sigh. Hesitantly, Alex finds the courage to put his arm around her, wrapping her up in her blanket and gathering her tightly in his arms. He hears her give a pleased hum, and she squeezes his leg as she snuggles deeper into his chest.

Alex clears his throat to say, "Um, are you warm enough?"

He curses the wavering sound that he hears in his voice, and takes a deep breath, watching her head rise and fall with his breathing. She lifts her head from his chest, placing her free hand over his heart to brace herself against him, and Alex did his best to not radiate with heat from her intimate touch.

She was inches from his face, wearing a soft smile with her eyes somehow still burning from the light of the fire... _Gods...Iomedae preserve me_ …

She runs her other hand up his body to cup his cheek, cradling his face and pulling him down to her. She guides him to kiss her with forwardness he was not expecting, but he finds himself gladly obliging. He holds her tightly in his arms, leaning down to kiss her as she runs her hands through his hair. She raises herself up to meet his mouth, seating herself on his lap and holding the back of his neck with one hand. She grips the ends of his tunic with her other hand, and he thanks Iomedae that he did not bother to put his armor on before coming out for his shift...he would have been nigh impossible to break into. He feels her hand run up his stomach to his chest, and feels a brief tug at the back of his neck as she touches upon his pendant of Iomedae. He is surprised to hear her release a gasp and quickly pull her hand away from it, as if the pendant had somehow burned her hand.

Sara gasps as if doused with a bucket of water, and for a moment wildly looks around at her surroundings. She looks into Alex's wide eyes, and knows that her temporary lapse of memory did not go unnoticed by him. She is happy to see that she is seated on top of him, and that they must have been getting rather intimate, but is disturbed that she could not remember how she had reached that point.

She did not want to ruin the moment, _Gods I have wanted him for so long_ , and leans in to kiss him again, hoping to cover his surprise with more kisses.

In her mind, she attempts to piece together what was missing: she had heard the paladin starting his shift at watch, and thankfully had been allowed to sit next to him for his shift.

They were sitting together in silence...and he had gone for another patrol...and now here she was, seated on top of him kissing him deeply, _This is no time to ask questions! Just catch up!_

She reaches out to return his touch, and decides her best course of action was to continue, blushing as she kisses him with the warm firelight behind her. Their kisses by the fire were not enough for either, and Sara takes the lead to bring a hesitant Alex back to her tent. They both felt the beginnings of love, and with the danger of the avalanche still fresh in their minds, both had the fear of not seeing another day: live for the moment rather than waiting on ceremony. In Sara's tiny tent, they spend the rest of the pre-dawn darkness in the warmth of each other's arms, with the sounds of sighs and soft giggles new lovers make emanating from the tarpaulin. Luckily, the rest of the morning passes uneventfully for the group, since their watchman was otherwise occupied.

 _ **Intimidated Bear & Burnt Hair**_

Lo is peacefully resting after a rough shift at second watch. Despite the cold, he did not find it difficult to find sleep; he must have fallen asleep as soon as he laid himself down in his tent. Now, his eyes pop open in the light of early dawn, and he hears something moving outside his tent. As the sound gets closer to the opening of his tent, Lo recognizes it as the breathing of a large animal. The flap of his tent moves, and the snout of a bear, then the whole head pokes into Lo's tent, and to Lo's horror, it's not Rauros…. it's a full-grown grizzly. Lo pulls out his lute, and plays an Intimidation song, and playing the harsh and crackling chords scares the bear. The grizzly rears up on its hind legs, which pulls the tent's stakes out of the ground, and as the bear takes off down the ravine, it takes Lo's tent with it.

The commotion the bear creates rouses the others, and Myne, Roth, and Tarian pull themselves out of their tents to protect the camp. They all look around at the quiet campsite with Lo standing in his birthday suit, and they notice that Alex, the person that should be on guard, is nowhere to be seen. His shield and sword are leaning against a tree stump, but all is quiet, and they notice that Sara did not emerge from her tent either. Roth tries to figure out what might have happened to Alex, and follows his tracks around the camp, pacing back and forth before veering off to Sara's tent. Knowing the romance that had been building between the two since Alex reunited with the group makes them hesitate to take any further action. Myne lets out a sigh of excitement for her cousin's romance, and they look to Lo with averted eyes to hear about the intimidated bear making off with his tent. Roth tracks the bear down the ravine, and finds Lo's tent crumpled and slightly ripped from the bear's escape, which he brings back to camp. Myne casts a Mend spell to repair the tent, and the group settles down to sleep for a desperately needed snooze before morning, trying their best to not notice any sounds coming from Sara's tent.

When morning arrives, the group begins to make breakfast and take down camp. As Tarian sips his coffee, Alex emerges from his own tent as nonchalantly as possible.

Wearing a wry grin Tarian says, "Morning, Alex. See anything interesting on your watch?"

The rest of the group shares a quiet giggle at Alex's expense, but Alex seems to not notice, "It was a quiet night. It passed uneventfully…"

Sara appears from her own tent, and Alex turns to greet her. The group grin collectively when they notice that Alex has a patch of singed hair on his temple.

 _ **Ghosts in the Mine Shaft**_

They set out for the day, following a small stream with ease. Around noon, they see a village in the distance, and considering how isolated the village is, and the fact that they see no smoke from chimneys, and no activity in the streets, they approach with caution. The stone buildings in the village are old, and it has clearly been abandoned for a long time. There are broken windows and doors that are hanging off their hinges. They see equipment lying about: pickaxes, wheelbarrows, and other mining tools. They see an abandoned stable, and among the small stone buildings they also see a larger central building. There is no door on the central building, and inside they see a desk in the center of the room with log books for supplies and shipments. It records the mining activity for the village, with the most recent entry being 50 years ago. There is a mentioning of Morrona, and there is also a mention of rare metals like gold and silver. In the margins, there are also notes of complaints from the miners about noises in the mine that have been shrugged off as air moving through the shaft. It intrigues the group enough to want to find the mine shaft and see if there is anything that can be discovered: some are hoping for valuables, others are hoping to find crystals.

They find the mine shaft to the east of the village, and next to the entrance they find a smaller building where mining supplies and materials were stored, but nothing of interest is inside. They decide to investigate the mine shaft, with Roth lighting a torch and Sara casting Dancing Light to make orbs of light. In the mine shaft, the walls are cold and damp. As they walk, their footsteps echo off the stone, and the smell of earth invades their senses. They do not go far into the tunnel before they come to a point where the mine ends abruptly, as if the miners dropped their tools and left the mine. Alex detects evil in the area, and they feel a breeze from behind them. As they turn around to look at the source of the breeze, they see a translucent man standing there. He is wearing armor, carrying a sword, and sporting a long beard. He points to them and shouts, "Invaders from Morrona! Leave this place, and pledge allegiance to Shramg the King!" Tarian knows that about 100 years ago there was a dispute over the lands. Morrona was just a city-state, and this mining village was mostly inhabited by northerners from Ani. There was a war over the valuables in the area, and those who lived in the mountains gathered under the flag of Shramg, but the war was won by Morrona, and Shramg traveled north to Ani and established the country there. When Tarian explains this to the group, the ghost looks at them again and shouts, "Leave my lands!" Alex knows that this man is a spectre, and when Myne and Lo try to talk to him, he seems to be angered even more, and walks towards them menacingly with ethereal sword drawn.

Sara casts Scorching Ray and hits while Roth fires off a Rapid Shot and hits it with three arrows. The spectre calls upon fellow fallen comrades, and three more spectres appear at his side to fight. The first goes after Tarian and slashes at him, the second goes after Alex but misses, and the third goes after Roth and misses. Alex ignores the spectre attacking him and immediately goes after the first soldier, running in front of Sara to block her and hitting it. Tarian takes a step towards the main soldier as well, and Lo prepares an Inspire Confidence song. Myne and Rauros attack the main spectre as well, and Rauros's claws make the soldier phase out of existence.

Sara casts mage armor on Alex, and as Roth lines up a shot at the third soldier Lo casts his inspire spell, and Roth hits the spectre three times with Rapid Shot. Lo casts Hideous Laughter on the same spectre that Roth aimed for, but misses. The first spectre swings his sword at Tarian but misses, and the second spectre misses his swing at Alex. The third spectre hits Roth, and Alex manages to hit the second spectre once. Tarian gives the spectre an angry look and hits the first spectre, and Myne and Rauros join Tarian in the attack on the first spectre.

Sara casts Flaming Sphere on the second spectre and hits, Roth attacks the third spectre with Rapid Fire and the hits make it phase out of existence. Lo attacks the first spectre with his short sword and misses, and the same spectre attacks Tarian and hits. The second spectre attacks Alex and hits. Alex swings into the second spectre and it phases out. Tarian, Myne and Rauros all lash out at the final spectre, and it too phases out.

From all around the mine shaft, they hear shouting echoing off the walls, "Leave this place!"

"Leave!"

They take the hint, and with nothing in the mine to keep them there, they rush out of the mine, and leave the abandoned village behind.

The rest of the day passes uneventfully, and as they descend further, the temperature begins to increase noticeably. The sun starts to set, and they find a place to set up camp. Lo, Tarian and Alex volunteer for watches, and the night goes by without incident.

 **23rd of Kuthona: Burning Hot Love**

The group wakes up to the smell of smoke, and as they all peer out of their tents, they see a very un-clothed Alex and Sara standing outside the flaming remains of Sara's tent trying to fan out the fire. When they notice the group watching them, Alex grabs his shield for some cover, and Sara manages to pull her pack out of the tent before it is completely incinerated. As the love-birds attempt to compose themselves, the rest of the group busies themselves with breakfast and packing up camp.

It is noticeably warmer, and the pines are changing to more varied vegetation. With the sun out, the group makes good time through the mountains, but they do not completely leave the mountains by the end of the day.

As they set up camp, Sara pulls Myne aside with a small amount of fear behind her eyes, and looks carefully at Myne before saying, "Myne, since we have some down-time I want to redistribute some of the goods that are in my pack. I am somewhat fearful of holding onto so many valuable magical items... what if my pack were to be stolen?"

Myne gives her a confused but somewhat understanding look as she says, "Alright, Sara...if you want me to hold onto some things, I'm more than willing to help carry...what items did you want me to take?"

Sara reaches into her pack, carefully pulls out a leather pouch, and hands it to Myne.

Myne gives her a questioning look as she feels the weight of the pouch in her hands, and Sara replies, "It's the Starstone crystal that we retrieved from Eremine's tower…"

Myne takes a deep breath and says, "Sara, I will watch over this if you wish...I still do not quite understand-"

Sara interrupts her cousin and says, "It's fine. Like I said, I just fear losing things…"

Around the campfire, the group discusses watch for the night. They don't want the worry of a distracted Alex on his shift, so Rauros and Myne take first shift, Tarian takes the second, and Roth takes the third.

Sara and Alex leave the company the fireside offers, and find a secluded area not far from the protection of their friends and the glow of the campfire. Sara leans against a tree to allow Alex the opportunity to press against her in an embrace as they start to kiss. They had felt an insatiable need to be close to one another after their first night together, and now, at every opportunity they could create, they embraced and kissed each other deeply, allowing their hands to roam if they knew they would not be found.

Alex gently releases Sara as he senses something off about her, and whispers, "Are you okay? You feel...different tonight."

Sara closes her eyes, hums gently and says, "I...I am not sure. I can't believe I set my tent on fire last night...at least I saved my pack, though. It has my journal in it, among other things, that I would hate to lose. I feel as if I need to have others take my things because I might set them on fire!"

She thinks for a moment with her lips pursed and continues, "Wait here, please. I think I want to give you something."

Sara rushes through the undergrowth to Alex's tent, climbing inside and rifling through her pack until she finds what she wants: her journal.

She scampers back to Alex with a smile, holding out her journal to him and says, "Here. I want you to have it. Alex, I...I think I love you, and I can think of very little more precious to me than my journal."

Alex carefully takes the leather-bound journal, turning in over in his hands and caressing the cover before saying, "Sara, thank you. It has been on my mind for days now, but it is hard to put into words until you hear it spoken back to you...I love you too. I have something just as precious I can give you in exchange, and luckily, it's made of metal so you won't have to worry about burning it."

From his shirt pocket, Alex pulls out a handkerchief that he carefully unwraps, revealing an ornate, silver pendant on a fine chain necklace.

Holding it out to her, he says, "This was my mother's. It is the only thing I carry of hers, and I have been waiting for an opportunity to give it to you…"

He leans close to her ear as he places the necklace in Sara's palm, "You are more precious to me than anything."

Sara sighs, lifting her head up to wait for Alex to return to her mouth, and he gladly obliges.

As they kiss, Sara's thoughts drift once again to the fear that gripped her, _Brave paladin...save me._


	22. Surviving Elements: 24th of Kuthona

**24th of Kuthona:** **A Fox, An Elephant, and Demons**

 _ **Dream Fulfillment**_

 _Myne wakes up feeling cold inside her tent. Her shift with Rauros had passed uneventfully, but something had stirred her from her sleep. She looks around and sees that the flap of her tent is broken open, and snow is piling into the tent. She doesn't see Rauros, and at first contemplates going back to sleep, since she assumes the bear must be off foraging for the night, however a second thought about her surroundings makes her realize that snow should not be a possibility at their current elevation. She opens the flap of the tent, fearing what she might see, and as she climbs out, the environment changes to a warm forest. There are lush trees, moss climbing up the bark, and the rich smells that accompany a forest in full bloom. In her puzzlement, she turns around, and sees that her tent is gone, and when she turns back Rauros is standing in front of her with a look of anticipation in his eyes. He turns and walks deeper into the woods, and Myne, not knowing what else to do, follows him. For a moment, she catches a melody, and it fills her with warmth and happiness. Then the song fades, and once again she is simply aware of the abundant plant life: fruits, berries, and large trees._

 _Crossing her path in front of her, she sees a strange-looking fox with large, bat-like ears, and in the distance, down a hill she sees a herd of large, grey creatures with floppy ears and a long nose. Both creatures are unfamiliar to her, but she immediately adds their likeness to her list of known animals. Closer on the path, a new figure appears: tall and slender with platinum hair, green eyes, and pointy ears. Myne does a double-take as she realizes it is Tarian. She approaches the elf, curious to know why Tarian, of all people, is wandering in this strange place._

 _She asks him, "Tarian...what are you doing here? Do...do you know what is going on?"_

 _He simply smiles, admiring her form without saying anything. He turns and starts to walk in the same direction as Rauros, and Myne picks up her pace to keep up._

 _She occasionally catches Tarian giving her a sideways glance and then smiling at her, but he says nothing when she asks, "Is this a dream?"_

 _The three leave the forest and enter a large clearing with tall grasses. In the center stands the figure of a young female half-elf with auburn hair, and grey eyes. Her hair and eyes are blazing, and she extends a hand to Myne. Myne reaches out to take Sara's hand, but Tarian urgently pulls her hand away from Sara. A look out outrage crosses Sara's face, and she releases a burst of fire. Myne instinctively puts up her arms to shield herself, but she finds that Tarian has stepped in front of her to block the flames, and she sees his body engulfed in a bright orange glow. Then she sees black liquid oozing up behind Sara, and the air is filled with black smoke and ash._

 _Myne begins to run, and her direction doesn't matter, she just wants to run away. The ground runs out in front of her as a deep, rocky crevasse opens up with a river of black liquid running through it. She peers down from the edge into nothingness, and sees a featureless face with eyes that burn._

Myne's eyes pop open, and she hears Rauros whimpering outside the tent. She opens the tent, and sees Alex emerging from his tent as well. Roth is lying unconscious on the ground near the remains of the campfire. By the light of a full moon, they see that the grass and rocks around their camp are blackened as if they had been burned.

Myne gives Alex a frightened look and asks him, "Did you have a dream, too?"

"No, but your cousin is missing. I woke up and she was gone."

Alex wakes the rest of the camp, explaining the urgency of Sara's absence while Myne rushes to Roth, dropping to her knees and examining him carefully. It appears that he has been knocked out, and with a little nudging and shaking, he comes around.

Myne ensures the ranger has fully regained his senses before bombarding him, "Roth, what do you remember? Did you see Sara?"

Roth rubs the back of his head, and in a groggy voice says, "I remember hearing something, perhaps just the snap of a twig behind me, and then the sensation of pain before I blacked out."

Lo casts Detect Magic, and doesn't sense anything amiss either, but they see a trail through the woods burned away. They follow it until it splits in 5 different directions. Myne asks Rauros to track down Sara, and after some sniffing around, he picks up her scent and follows it. Ahead, the pine woods clear, and Sara comes into view. She is looking away from them, standing at the edge of a cliff with her hair and robes blowing in the breeze. Beneath her is a red and orange glow, and as they get closer, they see flames enveloping a group of wagons at the bottom of the short cliff.

Myne screams, "SARA! Oh gods!"

Sara turns, smiles, and walks to Myne with a purposeful stride. With lightning reflexes, she grabs Myne around her neck, and says in a voice that is not her own, "Such a pretty little flower. Your cousin does grieve for you so. I must thank her for the young, vibrant body. You should hear her crying!"

Alex and Roth both rush to aid the girls, with Roth trying to pry apart Sara's fingers from Myne's neck while Alex shouts, "What are you doing? That is your cousin!"

Alex snatches Sara's arm, and she releases Myne, backing closer to the edge of the cliff.

She focuses her attention on Alex and says, "You're such a handsome man. I can see why she took a liking to you. And you are not as righteous and pure as you think you are, you naughty boy!"

With the two of them so engaged, Tarian takes the time to sneak to the edge of the cliff and look down at the wreckage. He can see people running around the burning caravans, while others look like they will never move again.

Alex can feel evil radiating from Sara like a beacon, and as he watches her in horror, she takes out his mother's necklace that he had given to her the night before, and holds it out in front of her, mocking him, "To think you were willing to part with your mother's charm so easily."

The fragile necklace melts in her hand and then the glob of metal bursts into flames.

Alex cries out, "That's not you, Sara!"

She lashes out in response, "She can no longer hear you! She is _mine_!"

In a rage, Alex tackles Sara, and they both fall back off the cliff.

 _ **The Elephant and the Fox**_

Xanros wakes up in a daze with a ringing in his ears. He is pinned underneath a wagon that is set on fire. He looks around, and it is a scene of chaos, fire, and smoke. There are charred bodies lying motionless, while the survivors check on the unmoving others. He manages to lift the wagon up off himself enough to slide out from underneath it, and he is happy to see that he is not damaged in any way once he is free of the burning wagon. He immediately starts looking around, and sees many recognizable faces checking on their families. One in particular stops him in his tracks; a young girl crying over the motionless body of her father: Alyia, whom he had saved just a couple days prior.

He kneels down next to the girl, and puts his huge hand on her tiny shoulder, and asks, "What happened?"

She chokes back more tears, points toward the side of a cliff and says, "There was fire from the sky, nearby."

In response, he says, "Where is your mother?"

She cries out, "I... Mastodon, I don't know!"

He looks up at the side of the cliff the girl had pointed out, and sees two figures tumble down the side. He pulls Alyia behind him, and tells her, "Stay here, out of sight."

He watches as one figure in a ruby red robe lands gracefully from the fall, almost catlike, while the other figure in plate armor lands heavily with a * _thunk_ * and * _clang*_. It looks like the landing hurt him, since it takes him a little bit of time before he starts to move again, and Xanros sees a smear of blood across his face.

The figure in the red robe is a young woman that seems to have an aura around her, and she eyes the young man in plate armor at her feet.

She then turns around, and sees Xanros in his full armor, including a helm that looks like an elephant head, watching her and says, "Well look here, another young hunk of man, though from your scent, are you more man or monster? I can't stick around, but my boys are more than willing to take care of you."

She summons two dretches and two large demons with batlike wings called incubuses, and commands them to destroy them all before launching into the air and flying away.

At the sight of the threatening, other-worldly creatures, he shouts behind him, "Alyia, run and hide!"

His blood had been rising as he took in the sight of the caravan's wreckage, and at the sight of these new threats, he lets out a scream of rage and launches at them with his great sword drawn.

In the tall grasses next to her flaming wagon, a human-looking woman is nudged into the waking world by a small fennec fox. Petite in stature with pale, blonde hair and tanned skin, the woman, a witch known as Poppet, blinks at her companion with dull eyes. She notices that the fox is shaken and agitated, and once she regains her full faculties, it takes her a little bit of time to calm her familiar down.

As she looks around, she sees the wreckage of her caravan, and dreamily thinks, _I must have been thrown from it in the impact of… something_.

In the distance, she sees a figure flying off, leaving behind four nasty-looking creatures. Standing in front of the creatures, she sees one of the caravan's bodyguards with an elephant helm that she recognizes as Mastodon, and a second man behind him in gleaming armor with a bloody face.

At the sight of the demons, Tarian rappels down the cliff to join the fray as one of the dretches claws into the charging Mastodon. The witch's first instinct is to aid Mastodon and anyone else that will fight against the demons that appeared before her, so she gives one of the dretches an Evil Eye, while one of the larger winged demons swings his scimitar at Mastodon and crunches down heavily on his armor. The second dretch sees a weakened Alex behind the large figure of Mastodon, and slashes at him with its claws. The second larger demon also lunges for Alex and gets one hit past his armor. Mastodon Cleaves through the dretch and incubus attacking him, ripping into both with his great sword. From up on the cliff, Roth takes aim at the first incubus and with a Rapid Shot hits his target once. Lo uses Tarian's grapple to follow the rogue's suit and climb down the cliff to aid the group. Alex steadies himself, and feels a red sorrow building up at the loss of Sara; his paladin training and devotion to Iomedae had prepared him to fight evil, and with it hitting him so personally, it fueled him even more. He casts Smite Evil on the incubus in front of him, and slashes heavily into the personification of evil in front of him. Myne and Rauros also climb down the cliff face to join the fray, with Rauros showing off his claws as he expertly scratches his way down the side of the cliff with Myne close by.

Tarian stealths and heavily hits the incubus attacking the large man with the great sword, while the dretch attacking Mastodon misses his target. Poppet lets out a Cackle, and cures the strange shiny man with the broken nose. The first incubus turns his attention to the rogue that stuck a knife in its back, and plants the idea to walk to Gangai for riches into Tarian's subconscious. In response to that call, Tarian's eyes unfocus, and he turns towards the east with the inexplicable urge to reach the desert city. As soon as the incubus sees the thought take hold, he turns his attention back to Mastodon and lunges with his scimitar. The second dretch scratches and bites savagely at Alex, and the incubus on him takes the opportunity to get a hit on him as well. Mastodon makes an Intimidating Glare against the incubus, and shakes the demon, then turns to the dretch scrabbling at him and slams the great sword into its forehead, dropping it to the ground. Roth takes another Rapid Shot at the first incubus and connects with one arrow, while Lo casts Inspire Courage for the group. Alex swings into the second incubus, and Myne's rage launches her into her cat form as soon as she hits the ground. Both she and Rauros savagely claw at the incubus attacking Alex, but they notice that their slashes seem to be too superficial for the demon to feel the damage.

Tarian's single-minded goal to reach Gangai makes him realize the distance to travel, and decides to backtrack to get his horse before continuing, so he makes his way to the rope and climbs up the cliff. Poppet casts Misfortune on the first incubus but it dissipates so she Cackles again. The first incubus lands two heavy blows on Mastodon, and the second dretch misses, as does the second incubus on Alex. In return Mastodon lands a heavy Power Attack on the first incubus.

As Roth takes aim at an incubus, he sees Tarian pull himself on the cliff, and shouts, "What are you doing?!"

Tarian dreamily responds, "I'm going to Gangai, there are some very lucrative deals to be made."

Roth shouts at the rogue, "What about your friends?!"

Tarian smiles and says, "They can come."

Roth makes an executive decision; he knows something is wrong with Tarian, and says, "I can't let you leave," and tackles Tarian to the dirt.

Back down in the fight, Lo casts Blind on the first incubus and he is happy to see that it works on the creature. Alex lands a heavy blow on the second incubus, and Myne and Rauros take the last of its life with teeth and claws.

In an attempt to reach Gangai, Tarian tries to lie his way out of Roth's chokehold by saying, "I realized the error of my ways, you can release me now."

Tarian is too good at lying, and Roth believes it, and carefully lets Tarian to his feet. As soon as he does so, Tarian sprints at full speed to escape Roth, and continues his quest to reach Gangai. Down below again, Poppet lets out an Ear-Piercing Scream on the first incubus, and the sonic power of the scream dazes the creature, and it stands there swaying. The second dretch slashes at Alex but misses while Mastodon swings his great sword, and the second mighty blow takes the incubus's head off. Up on the cliff, the sprinting Tarian snaps out of the spell that had taken him over, and stands still composing himself. Seeing Tarian restored, Roth takes aim at the dretch, and lets loose a thundering arrow that makes a sonic crack, deafening the creature. He then looses two more arrows that both land heavily into the demon's chest, sending it tumbling backwards into the dirt where it lay motionless.

 _ **Loss, Rage, and Recovery**_

With the demons vanquished, Alex immediately drops to his knees and begins pummeling the dead body of the incubus at his feet, screaming incoherently with every punch that squashes into the dead flesh. Not wanting to show her emotion, Myne stays in lion form and stands next to Alex as he releases his rage on the body. Eventually she leans over onto Alex to try to calm him, and they both sit in silence over the carnage of the body. In the meantime, Roth climbs down to join the others and look for his arrows, and Tarian follows after him, rappelling down the cliff with ease. Tarian is eager to find out what the creatures may offer in the way of treasure on them, finding less concern over the loss than the others.

Standing over the body of the other incubus, watching the young man with the plate armor unleashing his rage on the body of a demon, and seeing the rest of the group beginning to approach, Mastodon shouts out, "What the hell is going on?!"

In his agitation, he also begins to look around, shouting out for Alyia, but no one comes forward.

A tall, skinny elvish rogue with platinum blonde hair approaches, and extends a hand in a business-like fashion, and says, "I'm Tarian. Perhaps you've heard of the Dragon's Quill in Ano Liosia?"

In a gruff voice Mastodon replies, "Your name means nothing to me. What attacked the caravans?"

A bard with blue eyebrows steps forward and says, "Well, we certainly have no idea who the woman in the robes that lit the wagons on fire was-"

As Lo put forth the lie, it shakes the paladin out of his stupor to shout at the bard, "Stop Lo, we know her!"

An elvish ranger steps in front of Lo and says, "I can explain. That was our friend in the robes. She is possessed by some evil, and that evil set the caravans on fire through her. We're not your enemy."

The paladin shouts out, "Our friend is gone, and we don't know why."

The druid breaks her cat form, revealing a half-elf with reddish-blonde hair, and with her head hung low says, "I'll start looking for survivors," and walks off with a brown bear following after her.

Mastodon looks around again, and sees the small form of the fortune-teller named Poppet coming forward with her little fox wrapped around her neck, and calls out to her, "Poppet, look for Eremon, we need to figure out what we're doing."

She nods to Mastodon, and runs off to find their group's leader. Mastodon keeps his great sword out as he cautiously eyes the five strangers.

The paladin composes himself, and puts out his hand to Mastodon to introduce himself, and their party, "Hail friend. I am Alexander Shieldheart, Paladin of Iomedae, from Ani. My party and I are heading south to the desert on business."

He points out each member of the group by name, "This is Roth the ranger, Tarian the rogue, Lo the bard, and Myne the druid. You can put your weapon away. We are not your enemies."

In response, Mastodon says, "I am known as Mastodon, and the fortune-teller is called Poppet. I will wait until the leader of the caravan returns to determine what will be done here."

Alex diplomatically replies, "We will gladly assist."

The figure of Poppet reappears, and she draws Mastodon away from the group to whisper, "Eremon has perished, but there are a few survivors…I think I know who these people are; they're going to the temple in the desert."

Mastodon whispers back, "Do you know why?"

Poppet replies, "We'll speak later, but I believe they're trustworthy."

Mastodon and Poppet rejoin the group, and Alex asks, "What is your purpose?"

With a heavy sigh, Mastodon replies, "The caravan is a traveling circus, and I am one of the guards protecting the group."

At this remark Lo replies, "Wow, you guys did a great job, I don't see anyone alive."

Mastodon gives Lo a glare at this jab, and calms his rage. He turns away to look for the other guards to determine their course of action. As he walks away, Tarian plops down next to a cart, pulls out a bottle of Orestian wine and motions Lo over to enjoy a drink.

Mastodon finds another guard named Alban sitting next to a wagon wheel with a self-slung broken arm and a mopey expression.

When he sees Mastodon approaching he says, "What now? We're not getting the second half of our pay."

Mastodon replies, "I suppose we head back to Gangai and look for more work."

"I have heard that some of the survivors are keen on reaching Morrona as planned, while others simply want to return to Kish."

Mastodon's next thought is for Alyia and her family. He finds Alyia reunited with her mother and brother in a tent with some minor cuts and bruises. He decides to seek out the half-elf healer named Myne in order to get an idea of her group's intentions and to speed up the healing process for the family.

While Tarian and Lo share a bottle of wine, Poppet makes the suggestion to set up camp together for the night. It seems like a logical idea, so Roth and Alex head back to their camp to break it down and move it to the caravan. While they are gone, Lo begins to play a song about their group's travels in the hopes of creating a distraction. Meanwhile, Tarian stealths towards the bodies of the demons to see what he can procure from them. As he rifles through a body, he notices Poppet's fox standing behind him, watching him. He continues his search, and finds a Scroll of Shadow Walk, a Potion of Resist Energy, 130 gold pieces, and a scimitar.

As he begins to pocket the items, he hears Poppet's voice, "You should not do things that are sooo sneaky."

Tarian freezes mid-action, and the fox darts forward, grabs the scroll in its mouth and darts away.

Standing near the fire, Poppet tells Tarian over her shoulder in a quiet, playful voice that only he can hear, "I don't care about the rest of this, but the guards will fight you for anything of value."

Tarian gives Poppet a smile and says, "I don't care, I just want to know. You can join me in checking the bodies if you want."

Poppet's fox Widget stays to watch Tarian as he checks the other demons and finds 2 platinum pieces, a Wand of False Life, and another scimitar and Poppet grins and turns her head back to the fire to listen to Lo's song.

With red-rimmed eyes, Myne kneels over a young man to bandage a burn on his leg, when a large shadow looms over her. She looks up and behind her to see Mastodon standing there.

She replies with a sniffle and a tentative, "Yes?"

Mastodon asks, "Are you their leader?"

In a shaky voice she says, "Do I look like I'm a leader?"

Mastodon motions Myne to follow him, saying, "I need a healer. It's for a family."

She mutely follows the massive figure in front of her, and he leads her to a tent where she finds a family of three: a mother, a daughter, and a son, all with some minor injuries.

As she sets to work, Mastodon questions her, "I would like to know the plans of your party. This family plans on going back to Kish, and the caravan is breaking in half. I want to see the family reach their home safely; they may need some protection for the journey…"

Myne quietly replies, "I am not the person to make that decision. You will have to take it up with the group as a whole."

With that, she packs up her supplies, and leaves the wagon to find the group.

When she reaches the rest of the group, Tarian and Lo seem to have not moved from their spot, but the start of a camp is being erected around them. Alex and Roth are pitching the tents from their camp, and when Alex sees Myne, he rushes over to her. With tears in his eyes, he hands her Sara's pack and other belongings. Myne takes the pack, and sets it aside to look through later. She lends a hand with making a fire and pitching the rest of the tents. With the help of Mastodon and the other guards, the group puts the unspoiled rations from the caravan together, and makes a pyre to burn the bodies away from camp.

With all the immediate needs of the survivors taken care of, Alex asks for a bottle of wine from Tarian's stash. Tarian obliges, and Alex pulls the cork out with his teeth and quietly makes his way to his tent. Myne sits down by the fire and snuggles close to Rauros while Tarian, Lo, Roth Mastodon, and Poppet split the loot that Tarian found. Poppet is able to appraise the magical items, and they split the gold into 26 pieces each.

 _ **Fireside Chat**_

The survivors of the caravan and the guards make camp together in the wagons that are unscathed and in makeshift tents that they construct from their supplies, and split the rations to feed each person for the night. Mastodon and Poppet are both intrigued by the party of strangers that they ran into, and because of their camaraderie during their fight to ward off the demons, as well as a desire to learn more about their destination, they decide to sit at the fire of the strangers. The strangers had made their camp close to the rest of the caravan, but with a clear separation for the sake of the members of the caravan who displayed uncomfortable unfamiliarity, and even slight distrust towards them.

No noise is heard from the tent where Alex retreated to, and the group leaves him to drink away his sorrows for the night. There is silence around the fire as each person stares into it with different thoughts on their minds, unwilling to say much at first.

Without looking away from the fire, Myne asks in a monotone, "Who is the child?"

Mastodon knows the question is directed at him and responds in a gruff tone, "Just a child from the caravan. About a week ago we were attacked by bandits. The child had wandered away from the group, and the bandits abducted her and tried to gain goods with threats of harming her. I negotiated with the bandit. I told him I wouldn't kill him if he surrendered."

Although his helmet hid his face, the group could detect a note of glee or amusement in the statement, "He gave up the girl, and I held to my word. The bandits retreated; they weren't worth my time, but it would have been easy. I regret that her father was killed."

The subject of why her father was killed was left hanging in the air, no one was ready to talk about what had occurred earlier.

Myne asks, "What does the caravan plan to do now?"

Mastodon answers with a sigh, "Half intend to continue on to Reynes, the other half want nothing more than to return to Kish. I plan to go back to Kish with the caravan. I'm not getting paid now, there's no reason to continue to Reynes."

Myne prods further by asking, "You are performers?"

Mastodon replies again with a nod in the direction of the other wagons, " _They_ are, I'm just a guard."

In the silence, Lo draws the symbol of the Pathfinders in the dirt with a stick to see if he gets a reaction. No reaction is forthcoming, but he catches Myne's eye, who grins and acknowledges the attempt to feel out the strangers.

Roth looks at Poppet, who had been sitting quietly with her fox on her lap, and asks, "Do you have family in the caravan?"

She gives Roth a smile and says, "I do not. It's just me and Widget here."

She gives a shrug and answers the unasked question by adding, "We're not entirely sure what to do now, there is nothing for us in Kish, but with the circus broken apart there may not be much in Reynes either."

At the mention of the circus, Roth asks her what her profession is, and she responds, "I'm a fortune teller."

She pulls out her beautiful set of metal tarot cards, and explains, "I was trained in the profession by another card reader, and my cards were gifted to me from my teacher."

Myne looks hopefully at her and asks, "Do you really make predictions, and see into the future?"

Poppet shrugs her shoulders as she says, "It's just smoke and mirrors, for entertainment, and I developed it into a profession."

Myne sighs and looks crestfallen as she says, "Oh…"

As Poppet scratches the ears of Widget, Roth asks, "Did the fox just show up? Is he a companion of yours?"

Poppet holds her fox closer as she says, "I've had him for many years, a gift when I was but a child. We are quite fond of each other."

Tarian decides to busy himself with cooking for the group, pulling out some of their rations to make a decent meal.

As the group sits closer to take their share of the food, Mastodon stands and says, "I won't take from your rations. I'll grab my own, I don't want to owe anyone anything."

He walks off to his tent to eat.

With her bowl in hand, Poppet scoots closer to Myne, and with a gesture towards Alex's tent quietly asks, "Is he going to be okay?"

With fresh tears gathering in her eyes, Myne reluctantly replies, "The woman in the red robes is my cousin, and also Alex's lover, I think...they certainly lit a lot of things on fire together. He has taken these events kind of hard."

At this statement Myne blushes, embarrassed at having to explain the romantic relationship between her cousin and the young man, then desperately turns to Tarian with a wavering voice, "Tarian, can you hand me a bottle please?"

At this, Tarian starts out of his relaxed stupor with his own bowl and bottle and begins to rummage through the bag of holding and asks, "Sure, what do you want?"

Myne replies, "Whatever bottle is fullest."

She gratefully accepts the bottle of Orestian wine, and still red with embarrassment, pulls the cork out with her teeth and takes a long pull at the wine.

In the silence, Roth looks at Myne and quietly asks, "What do you think took over Sara?"

Myne lets out a shudder, and says, "The same thing that took Eremine. And based on what we saw with her, I think Sara is gone."

Poppet eyes the group, and with sympathy in her voice asks, "What happened?"

The group recounts their run-in with the possessed sorceress Eremine in the tower, and how that same entity must have burrowed itself in Sara when it left Eremine. With apology in their voices, they explain how their journey south to find a temple in Kish had led to the caravan's and Sara's horrific fate. After their tale ends, both sides exchange apologies for their losses.

Mastodon returns from his meal in the middle of the group's story, and takes his seat at the fire again. Preferring to not reveal his true race, he makes it his practice to never remove his armor in public. It means not removing his helmet as well, making meals in public an impossibility.

After the group's story, Tarian turns to Mastodon, "Do you normally travel with this group?"

Mastodon replies, "I only work for my keep as a hired sword."

Tarian asks, "Have you ever been to Ano Liosia?"

"I do not often travel this far from my native land of Kish."

"Well, would you be interested in joining us as we continue south to reach a temple in the Kishian desert? It would be on your way back at least."

"Where it is located? I am not familiar with a temple...other than the Temple of Pharasma."

"From our directions, it appears to be just north of it...though probably not a landmark that is inhabited any longer."

Mastodon crosses his arms, "There are many dangers in the desert, you know: bandits, giants, and orcs that roam the desert waiting for an unsuspecting party like yours."

"Well since you seem to know the dangers, would you be willing to join us?"

Mastodon lets out a low grumble as he says, "I'm not cheap. The road to the temple will be dangerous, but I know nothing about what is inside. I could guide you, and protect you, but I've never gone in the temple, and I do not know the ways of magic. Do you want my aid inside?"

At this question, Tarian turns to Poppet with a leading question, "I don't suppose you are showing any interest as well, since you seem to not have anywhere to be? You also seem to possess some magic, yes?"

"I'm well versed in the ways of magic. My powers were granted to me from a powerful patron. I believe others would call me a witch."

Tarian turns back to Mastodon, and puts on his 'haggling' hat as he tells Mastodon, "Well, let me just say that I think we will have an easy jaunt through the desert-"

Myne shouts, "We are being hunted!"

Tarian continues, ignoring the outburst, "...and there could be an opportunity for loot."

Mastodon quietly looks at the rogue, feeling him out, and weighing his own options. He would be able to travel with the families going to Kish until they reach the temple, and if there could be a payout…, "My normal price for the estimated distance and his troubles is 500 gold."

Lo takes a jab at Mastodon by pointing out, "The caravan you were paid to protect is kinda dead, so we're not sure if you're worth 500 gold."

At this, Mastodon's already hurt honor and reputation was pushed even further, and he makes an Intimidating Glare at Lo, but Lo seems to just brush it off.

Finally, Mastodon says, "If you don't want my help, then fine."

Tarian tries to smooth over the insult by saying, "We should be able to handle ourselves in a fight, what we need is more of a guide. We each have our own specialties, and if Poppet feels compelled to join us as well, we will be able to handle just about anything we find in the temple. Not to mention that what we find in the temple may be loot worthy to supplement a smaller guide fee that we offer. We will give you an even cut of _anything_ we find inside."

At these words, Myne stands, giving Tarian a look, "Can I speak with you away from the campfire, Tarian?"

When she pulls him out of earshot of the group, she gives him a little push and whispers urgently, "Tarian, you need to remember that _not everything_ that we expect to find in the temple can be shared with these strangers!"

She tries to widen her eyes, batting her eyelashes until Tarian gets the hint, nodding in understanding.

When they return to the campfire, Tarian gives Mastodon a winning smile and says, "I have to amend my last offer; there is one object that cannot be part of the loot."

Mastodon quietly eyes Tarian until he adds, "Look, we cannot guarantee riches and fine objects, but our past endeavors have been fruitful."

He pulls out the beautiful rapier that he found in Eremine's tower, and shows it off to Mastodon. Mastodon admires the weapon, and tells Tarian, "I only want practical items. I have no interest in magic."

Lo sends a magic message to Tarian, "Offer him 200 gold, plus a cut of the non-magical items, and an even split of gold found. We'll have him."

Tarian relays this offer to Mastodon, who accepts the offer over a handshake with Tarian.

At the resolution of Mastodon's payment, Poppet speaks up: "With the loss of your sorceress, you look like you could use someone that understands the ways of magic. I've no immediate plans with the dissolution of our traveling family here."

Tarian turns and offers a hand to Poppet as well, "We can always use another person."

 _ **Alex: A Clouded Mind & Heart**_

Alex takes another deep swig of the wine before pulling back the flap of his tent. Barely audible behind him, he could hear the rest of the group and their new acquaintances settling close to the fire for some food. He wanted nothing of it; there was nothing to talk about, and no one would understand his anger. He plops down inside his tent, pulling off his armor and making himself as comfortable as possible propped up against his bedroll. He sighs and takes another swig of wine before taking a cursory glance around the inside of his tent while letting his mind wander. He had lost a lover to evil, and he was furious at himself for letting it cloud his judgement. His eyes fall on his open pack, and he sees the corner of Sara's leather-bound journal sticking out from it. He takes another swig, eyeing the journal, and with some trepidation pulls it out of his pack. He lovingly caresses the supple binding before deciding to open it; she had given it to him just a day ago, and yet from then to now their predicament had changed so violently that he felt he was opening an ancient tome of secrets best left untold.

 _1st of Neth_

Myne has been almost unbearable the last few weeks in anticipation of her trial into adulthood with this year's upcoming ceremony. She and Rauros have been dragging me through the woods on some notion of training for our journey. While I can certainly think of activities I'd rather be doing, I cannot help but smile and let my cousin pull me along. Her enthusiasm is rather infectious.

As for myself, I can't seem to pin down my feelings on our journey. Besides Lothar, Myne and myself, I can think of few others that would still be within Kassen to participate in the trials. I suppose there's not much of a point in worrying about the details, all will be revealed soon enough.

 _6th of Neth_

How infuriating! Blackheart's spawn has apparently arrived back in Kassen and intends to join Myne and I during this year's ceremony! How I did not recognize him as he rode past, I don't know, too focused on sketching the river perhaps. But Myne wouldn't lie to me about this, and she's quite certain the young idiot who rode past me today was Alexander.

Maybe I can torch him out on our journey and have Myne be none the wiser...

Evidently, there is also an elf that Myne ran into today that seems keen on participating in tomorrow's ceremony. I don't recall his name at the moment. An archer I believe she said.

I've heard there are others participating in the ceremony this year, but haven't ascertained the names of them. As long as I can put all of them between Shieldheart and me, and more importantly between Shieldheart and Myne, then I'll take all the useless individuals who wish to come.

 _8th of Neth_

While the mouth of this cave sets my nerves on edge, there's not much I can do besides bed down and relax for this night. I still cannot believe I just fell down that stupid ravine, the others must think me some sort of simple-minded fool. At least they've seen Myne and I have some magic, so they may not think me completely useless.

Illusions and wolves slowed our journey here. Tarian, an elven rogue, and Alex seem particularly inept at striking anything with their swords without winding up twice as hurt as our foes. But at least Alex seems willing to throw himself head first into danger to prevent harm from coming to what I'm sure he thinks are two "delicate half-breeds." How I loathe that man.

The other member of our little group was the real surprise. Lothar, a human that Myne and I used to play with in the village, seems to have a connection to magic as well. While I admit my curiosity of his abilities, I'm not sure how trustworthy this bard is.

Hopefully we can get this lantern light soon and return to Kassen. I tire of these men…

 _10th of Neth_

The group is currently still climbing out of their bedrolls, but I find myself needing a moment to reflect on our journey through Kassen's crypt and gather my thoughts.

Apparently, Myne, Lo, and I are not the only beings that magic has taken a hold of. The undead in the crypt had stirred to life again, including Kassen himself. It seems we are now tasked with retrieving Kassen's amulets before whoever these cultists are can do more harm to innocent people.

I can scarcely believe everything that has occurred, but I must suppress the overwhelming urge to hide in my bedroll. One, because I won't allow anyone see me succumb to such a childish act, and two, because that won't do much good. If Kassen is in danger, I want to ensure I can do everything within my power to protect Father and Aunt Brynn.

 _11th of Neth_

Who knew what two days could bring? In simply two days, we found a dead woman, were thrown a celebration for our triumphant return, ran into Blackheart, killed a half-orc, were kidnapped, watched the village be nearly destroyed by cultists, and gained a potential ally.

I must order my thoughts and think rationally through all of the chaos.

And yet, I cannot seem to focus my train of thought. I worry for our missing paladin. One half-orc nearly killed Myne and me, I can only offer prayer to every god I can think of that Alex is able to escape our foe's companion.

Funny. A week ago, I would have gladly melted his flesh from his body, but I've come to respect Alexander. I cannot blame him for his father's crimes, especially not when he has agreed to make his father pay for them.

Oh gods! I still cannot believe I punched him! This temper of mine does seem to get me in trouble. Why could I not have an affinity for water and have a cool composure?

I believe we set off for Morrona today. I must push my worries to the back of my mind and focus on our journey forward. Alex will protect himself, I must put my faith in him and continue forwards.

 _15th of Neth_

I find myself too exhausted to write most nights. We've wound up in a town with some sort of plague. The men seem terrified, which probably shouldn't be as amusing to me as it is. Myne has agreed to look for some herbs for an alchemist looking for a cure. The goodness in Myne is almost overwhelming at times. I am proud of her.

 _20th of Neth_

Why is it our errands always wind up placing us in cold, dark, damp holes in the ground? The temple we had to visit to gather whatever lichen Myne needed was an absolute terror. On the bright side, I've wound up with a mummified hand on a chain… Oh Nethys, has my bright side really turned to such a warped idea of pleasantness…

Bo, the monk, seems keen on cutting off Tarian's hand, which has displayed the strangest discoloration from contact with a liquid he found in Kassen's tomb. I think him the greatest of fools for actually touching that substance.

John, the alchemist we helped out, seemed to have helped heal Tarian's finger somewhat, hopefully enough that Bo won't try and cut it off while everyone sleeps.

My thoughts regularly return to where Alex has wound up in his own journey. I find myself worrying over whether he's alright or not when I curl up into my bedroll at night. He was always disregarding his own safety and taking unnecessary damage to protect others. While I know he's more than competent, I still cannot shake these thoughts. I wish we had some word from him.

I must find sleep tonight, however. Those with a sense of geography believe we may reach Avalon soon in our journey, and I look forward to seeing a city full of magic!

 _23rd of Neth_

What a day! Avalon is simply amazing, I feel I could spend the rest of my life here and never tire of this city! The things we've learned just today.

Myne and I had always assumed our powers must have developed through our mothers' bloodline, since we both displayed magical abilities. But we were informed today that I most probably inherited powers from Father! Myne's abilities were given to her as a blessing from the god she has worshipped since she was a small child. My head is spinning from trying to process all of the possibilities this has uncovered.

I wonder what great and powerful entity is in my bloodline that allows my connection to the elements?

Also, it turns out our magic is only castable because Lo has a starshard! I can't believe he's managed to keep it hidden all these weeks.

I suppose I should turn down for the night. I'm worried where our monk has disappeared to, as he was not in the tavern tonight when we gathered.

His absence needled me into worrying about my silly paladin again. I do so wonder where he is right now. I hope he is safe.

 _28th of Neth_

Most days I nearly forget about this weathered journal tucked into the bottom of my pack. It seems like so long ago that we left Kassen, but flipping through my previous entries confirms it has been less than a month since we left home.

Well, the luxury of Ano Liosia has been a nice change of pace. Myne and Roth are camping outside of the city, I cannot begin to fathom giving up a warm room with a real bathing tub! I'm just happy I was able to afford a room to myself. Curling into the warm water with a glass of wine wouldn't be quite the same if I were sharing my space with Lo or Tarian.

Bo, I believe, is out with his "Drunken Master", Tao Ron Li I think was the name. I roll my eyes at that notion every time I see them getting drunk together.

...I wonder what would happen if I tried to unleash my power while I was as wasted as those two… Oh Nethys, I shudder at the thought! I can only imagine I would hurt someone, unable to reign in my powers.

Tomorrow we must find a way to continue on our journey, but tonight I intend to enjoy this room to the best of my abilities.

 _3rd of Kuthona_ [the ink is smeared in several places from what appear to be tear drops]

I find myself unable to gather all of the events that have transpired since I last wrote and put them down on paper. The sorrow that has taken hold of my heart is fierce and unforgiving, and I find it drives away all other thoughts.

Bo is no longer among us. Zod, the evil wretch that he is, drove his strange black blade through Bo's chest, and his sword seems to have devoured our friend. I only can hope that our group moves past the death of our ally soon enough.

I must admit though, that I only record Bo's final moments out of respect for our companion. It is not thoughts of him that consume me right now.

Alex, stupid paladin! He apparently was able to find his grandfather, Arthur, on his journey. And then the fool threw his life away defending the king! He always thrust himself before danger with absolutely no concern for his own safety!

My thoughts bounce from seething anger at his gods damned foolishness to a bone-chilling melancholy that wracks my body with sobs.

I have not shared Alex's fate with any of the others yet. The wounds Bo has left on us all are still too fresh to let them know. Perhaps I can keep this a secret, and not burden them with the knowledge.

 _10th of Kuthona_

Alex is alive! After a week of shutting myself away in my room, lamenting his death, he just walks into our meeting with the Queen's general! I don't know what I was thinking, running across the room and throwing my arms around him like I did, I'm pretty sure I'm still blushing at said actions.

But my heart…When I recognized his face I swear my heart skipped a beat, and then raced the fastest I've ever felt it to recover.

Gods above, I feel like one of the silly women from Kassen fawning over their "true loves"! Really, what has Alex done to me? I was simply relieved to discover he had not truly perished as I had thought.

But enough about my silly paladin friend that had worried me to near death…

We might have a lead on the sorceress, Eremine. We head towards her tower soon…

 _21st of Kuthona_

It's early in the morning still, I don't hear anyone else in my party moving beyond the walls of my room yet. So much has occurred since I last was able to put charcoal to paper and write.

Eremine… It turns out she was possessed. By what, I am unsure. It's a little discouraging that we traveled for so long and fought so many foes, only to discover some old god in her place. But… I must admit, as terrifying as the fiery entity was, I did feel a certain pull towards such a creature. I worry about what that might mean.

Perhaps I can reexamine those thoughts when my heart isn't constantly racing at the thought of a certain paladin. These last few weeks, I have come to at least acknowledge the feelings I have for Alex. And how could I not? Courageous, honorable, gorgeous…

I had thought perhaps Alex sought to spare my feelings by not directly turning me down. After all, I fear I was not exactly subtle with my feelings. Now, however, I think he was just completely oblivious! However, he did let me curl into his side to sleep during our previous night in the tower. Oh, my heart is racing at just the thought!

Regardless of his feelings for me, I do believe I am in love with Alexander. Nethys save us all.

 _22nd of Kuthona_

I feel like I've been living a fairytale all day today. It started when I woke up when the shift for watch came. I wasn't sure who was heading into their tent to catch some much-deserved rest, but I heard the telltale sound of Alex dropping his shield onto the ground before he sat down. Try as I might, I couldn't seem to get back to sleep knowing he was alone for once.

Since I knew I was just going to toss and turn for the rest of the night, I decided to join Alex out by the fire and at least have company. Mostly we just kept companionable silence, perhaps throwing a few glances at one another when we thought we could get away with it.

I'm not really sure what came over me, but the next thing I knew I was cupping Alex's cheek and kissing him. After much blushing on both our parts, I lead Alex back to my tent...

Gods, I can feel the flush rise to my cheeks at just the thought. I've never wanted anything more than to be with that man.

Apparently, saving a man from being buried alive in an avalanche makes him realize he's in love with you.

And yet, thinking of that avalanche… Even with the empowered rod, I don't feel like I should have been able to melt all of that snow. I was desperate, but that does seem beyond my abilities…

 _I almost wonder what sort of devastation I could unleash if I turned the inferno inside of me onto a village…_

What am I thinking? My thoughts are all sorts of jumbled since the tower. I should get some rest, since I have a feeling I might get a visitor tonight.

 _23 of Kuthona_ [ash is smudged across the bottom of the page, and the corner is slightly burnt]

I don't feel much like myself. I feel as if I've been walking through a dream, not quite experiencing things in my own body. I find that I've been missing great spans of time during our travel.

It feels like only moments ago that Alex and I were in my tent this morning.

...but I burned that down, didn't I? That was this morning, it must have been…

We've just stopped for the night, and I believe Alex and I are going to eat dinner with one another. He's been taking a small trinket out of his pack and looking at it repeatedly since we stopped for the night. I'm not sure what it is, but it glimmers like white gold.

 _Surely it must be some piece of jewelry the silly paladin intends to give to his beloved little sorceress. As entertaining as corrupting him while he has been so focused on his "love" instead of his god is… I grow bored with this charade…_

 _Iomedae surely will not let one of her sheep stray from its path for much longer…_

Didn't Alex once mention he carried his late mother's necklace? I wonder if that's what he keeps playing with.

My head feels like it has split open, and my writing is swimming before my eyes. Perhaps I'll relax before my dinner with Alex.


	23. Surviving Elements: 25th-31st of Kuthona

**25th-28th of Kuthona:** **Scavengers & Scarabs**

 _ **Scavengers on the Horizon**_

The morning sun rises on the camp. There is cold air coming down from the mountains mingling with the warm air from the desert. Alex stumbles out of his tent, holding his head and grunting when he stubs his toe on a rock. There is more movement as others wake up and begin to busy themselves with the tasks of the day. The caravaners fold their tents, and begin to pack their belongings onto the remaining caravans. Tarian stumbles over to the fire to make coffee and food. Roth checks with Mastodon to see if hunting is needed to make a supply of fresh food. They decide that hunting is not necessary at the moment, given their current supply of rations, the number of people in the caravans, and the number of days they estimate that it will take for them to reach their destination.

By mid-morning, both groups are ready to depart, and the caravan bound for Kish says their farewells to the caravan bound for Reynes. Alex asks for another bottle of wine from Tarian's supply, and Tarian refuses to give in to the desperate paladin. Alex fumbles through his money pouch, and holds out two gold coins that he offers Tarian for a bottle, which Tarian gives in to. Not wanting to see what would happen with Alex trying to navigate on his horse drunk, Myne ties the reins of Alex's horse to hers to keep it on track. Roth takes the lead of the caravan, scanning the horizon from his horse. Tarian decides to try to start up conversation with Poppet by riding next to her open wagon.

As they trek to the east, they see a flat landscape in front of them with dried grasses and low-lying brush. By the end of the day's travel, the grasses become shorter, and the air dryer. Rocky outcrops become more frequent, and the hard-packed earth is cracked from the parched, arid environment. The setting sun is a beautiful orange and red against the horizon, and while the air feels warmer, the winter is still asserting itself enough to only allow the group to remove their winter gear to stay comfortable.

They decide to call it a day, and begin to seek out an appropriate spot to camp. While Roth is busy trying to catch Alex from falling out of his saddle, Tarian notices some movement on top of a rocky outcrop. Widget notices it too, and his ears perk up as he stares in the same direction as Tarian. From the outcrop, figures can be seen riding down the side coming closer to the group. Tarian alerts the caravan, and as the group looks at the figures coming closer, they begin to take on a recognizable shape: gnolls riding on hyenas as if they were horses. They are all carrying spears, and there are 6 of them. When the gnolls are close, they begin squawking in gnoll, and Mastodon can tell that their intentions are hostile as they begin circling the caravan, and peeking into the wagons. One gnoll rides up to Roth and tugs at the saddlebags on his horse. With an open hand, Roth pushes it away, and it lets out an aggravated hiss and pierces Roth with its spear.

Poppet knows that they are chaotic evil creatures, and that they are hunters with an affinity for scavenging animals. She also knows that they are tribal, and relish combat, generally traveling in large numbers and using pack tactics to attack unwary travelers. She relays this to the group as they all draw their weapons in response to the attack on Roth. She then lets out an Ear-Piercing Scream on one of the gnolls. Tarian does a barrel roll and hides behind a cart while Mastodon rages, and overruns another gnoll, knocking it off its hyena and driving it to the ground. One of the other gnolls slashes and stabs with its spears at Poppet while Roth spurs his horse away from the gnoll attacking him, prompting the gnoll to take a heavy slash at Roth's horse. He turns around in the saddle to fire a sleep arrow at it, and puts it to sleep with the arrow. Another gnoll close to Mastodon rushes forward to attack, but misses. The gnoll that Mastodon had rushed to the ground makes a valiant attempt at getting to its feet, but as it does so Mastodon brings down his great sword hard on the head of the gnoll, cleaving it through. Alex looks to Myne, who was towards the back of the caravan, and notices a couple gnolls getting close.

He shouts, "I'll protect you!" and rushes forward to attack the nearest gnoll, slashing it across the chest with his sword.

Another gnoll sees a target in Lo, and dashes forward to stab him with his spear, while Lo casts Inspire Courage on the group. Yet another gnoll sees Poppet being attacked, and decides to take the opportunity to attack her as well, but Poppet dodges the spear by ducking inside her wagon. Myne and Rauros see Poppet's wagon being surrounded by two gnolls, and rush to her aid. They savagely rip into the first gnoll they come to, and between Myne's dagger and Rauros's claws and jaws they maul the gnoll to death. The gnoll that Alex attacked takes a swing at him, but misses completely.

Poppet takes a step away from the remaining gnoll and casts Evil Eye on the creature, then Cackles. Tarian sneaks and stabs with his rapier at the gnoll attacking Lo, stabbing it in the back. Mastodon delivers a Power Attack to the other gnoll attacking him, and crushes it beneath the blow. Roth fires a sleep arrow at the other gnoll attacking Poppet, and with a second shot kills it. Alex swings again at the gnoll he engaged combat with, delivering another heavy slash. Lo throws a net on the gnoll that Alex is attacking, snaring it under the net. Myne and Rauros then rush to the aid of Alex, and Rauros dispatches the gnoll trapped under the net while Tarian delivers a killing blow to the last gnoll still sleeping from Roth's first arrow.

They look around at their comrades, and they are happy to see that the hyenas that were carrying the gnolls all fled when the gnolls had been unseated. While Myne heals Roth's horse with a Cure Light Wounds spell and a bandage to its flank, Tarian searches the bodies for anything of value. He finds that each gnoll has a set of leather armor, and spear, and a wooden shield. Between them all he also gathers up 90 silvers, 3 gold pieces, 1 turquoise gemstone valued at 5 gold pieces, and 1 irregular freshwater pearl valued at 5 gold pieces.

The sun has finally set, and the group decides that this outcrop will do for a place to rest for the evening. Roth climbs up to the top of the outcrop, and makes a scan of the horizon. What he sees is a completely flat land, and off in the distance he can see a group of wild camels roaming, but nothing immediately threatening. Alex takes another bottle of wine for the night and retreats to his tent. The rest make a quick meal and also turn in for the night. They sleep peacefully through the night, despite the alarming drop in temperature after the sun was below the horizon.

In the morning, they pack up, and continue east for two more days. As they travel further into the desert, they watch the land become more dry, and the days become warmer and warmer. In the afternoon of their second day out from the outcrop, they come to an intersection in the road. The intersecting path leading north is flanked with two obsidian scarab beetle statues, and a sign marks it as the path to the Temple of Pharasma: their destination before heading further into the desert. Tarian recalls the neutral goddess for whom the Temple was in honor of, and relays to the group that she is alternatively known as the goddess of new life and the reaper of the dead. Her followers dress in black and silver, and use scarabs, beetles, and black roses without thorns in motifs and symbolism associated with Pharasma.

 _ **Farewells & Gifts**_

Their original intentions were to see the caravan safely back to Gangai, but Roth and Myne estimated Gangai to be another 10 days' travel away from the temple, and they decide that the detour is not worth the effort. With that decision made, they begin to say their good-byes to the caravan, and redistribute Poppet's and Mastodon's belongings onto their horses. Alex finds two caravaners willing to part with a couple bottles of cheap wine for 4 silvers, and Myne makes sure to pick up the empty bottles that Alex had deposited on the ground to make room for his full ones.

Some of the members of the caravan are reluctant to see Mastodon go, but he assures them of their safety with the protection of the other guards traveling with them. Alyia in particular says her goodbyes to Mastodon with tears in her eyes. He quietly gives her a small pouch full of silver pieces, and Myne gives her the piece of turquoise they had acquired from the gnolls as a way to apologize for the loss of her father. Once they say their farewells, the caravan moves on down the eastern road, while the group waves them on until they are out of sight. Because of his size, Mastodon is given one of the group's warhorses to ride, and Poppet shares a horse with Myne as they turn north past the black scarabs. Myne says a prayer of protection to Gozreh as they pass under the ominous columns, and Roth takes the lead to scope out the trail.

 **29th-31st of Kuthona: Rest & Trek in the Desert**

 _ **Pharasma's Sanctuary**_

By the early afternoon on the second day from their turn northward, they see the top of a tall spire on the horizon. It looks like a dark cathedral, and around it is an oasis, giving green life to the dry desert. They follow the path lined with black rose bushes being pruned by priests in black robes, and reach an archway of black rose vines. They can hear singing and chanting as they look through the archway into a courtyard. The courtyard is busy with activity: in a large pool of water a woman is in labor, giving birth with assistance from priestesses. As the new child is born, praises to Pharasma are exclaimed, and other commoners and priests can be seen walking the courtyard and gardens on their own purposes.

The group takes in the scene with a mixture of wonder and squeamishness, and from their right they hear the voice of a man, "Interesting sight, isn't it?"

Leaning against a statue and holding a bottle in one hand is Tao Ron Li, "Good to see you all, although I see my pupil is not present."

The group lowers their heads and explains their encounter in Morrona, and the disappearance of Bo.

Tao Ron Li bows his head at the news, "It is unfortunate to hear. He was a good pupil with great potential. You may yet find him. You have been through many ordeals, but there may be hope yet. Your journey has taken you far from home, but further you must go. Bo is lucky to have friends like you. But this is idle chat, the Priestess is awaiting your arrival."

The group eyes him with a measure of awe, wondering how the strange drunken master managed to be in strange places at strange times.

At these last words, a young priest dressed in black robes approaches the group with an expectant smile, and says, "By chance, are you the party from Morrona? I was told you were coming, and you fit the bill. Priestess Gamora has been expecting you."

With a wave of his arm, he leads the group to the front entrance of the gothic cathedral. It is made of black stone with motifs of scarabs and thornless black roses. The double doors feature half-full hourglasses carved into the wood. The priest pulls open the doors and ushers them inside.

The inside is just as gothic as the outside, and the air is thick from the burning of candles and incense. As they walk to the altar they pass people celebrating the passing of a beloved individual. They find Gamora kneeling in front of a picture of Pharasma, wearing all black with silver stitching on the sleeves and hem of her robes. She carries vials of holy water at her belt, and onyx earrings in the shape of scarabs. When the priestess stands, they see a tall, middle-aged half-elf with a shaved head.

She extends a hand, and introduces herself as Sophia Gamora, and as she scans the group she remarks, "I was told there would be only six…"

The group explains their losses, as well as introducing their two new companions.

She bows her head, "I see. In either case, I have been expecting you, although it may not be apparent why. We received word through a letter from Cygar that a group would be coming from the Pathfinders. I am aware that you seek passage to the temple to the north of here, just based on the summations the Pathfinders have made about what you are seeking. The temple once was a place of pilgrimage for priests as a way to make a deep spiritual connection with Pharasma, but lately the journey has proved to be too difficult and dangerous. There has been strange activity surrounding the place. It is a long journey, probably a two-day trek to the center of the desert, but I am willing to supply your journey with camels and other provisions, as well as give you a place to rest for the night before continuing on in the morning. My only request is that you not disturb the people that have come to the church to celebrate the newly born and the dead." Tarian speaks up, "Is there anything in particular that we should be prepared for?"

"There is a great spiritual power there, tread carefully. There have also been reports of bandits and other-worldly beings that have made pilgrimages an impossibility."

With that final warning, she allows the group to make themselves comfortable in their own ways for the evening. Tarian wanders around, mostly looking for any tomes of interest. Alex looks for wine, and finds Tao Ron Li, who offers him a bottle of Lanarian Fire Ale, and tells him he could be his new pupil as Alex wanders away. Poppet wanders around eavesdropping, and sends Widget to follow people in case he hears anything interesting. Myne finds an herbalist to sell what she can gather, Roth rests in his room, Lo plays a song in the courtyard for the passers-by, and Mastodon keeps a patrol of the area.

When night sets in, the group makes their way to their rooms; Myne makes sure that a tipsy Alex finds his room safely before finding her own. In the morning, they are given a hearty breakfast, and sent on their way with camels, desert garb, and four days' worth of provisions for the trek to the temple. Alex emphatically begs the priests to take good care of their horses while they are gone while other priests give their survivalists, Myne and Roth, directions on how to reach the temple as safely as possible.

 _ **Armor & Stingers**_

The group venture into the desert with high hopes that dwindle quickly under the oppressive heat of the desert. The sun relentlessly beats down on the group, and despite their desert attire the group suffers from the heat. As the sun sets, it turns a deep red on the horizon; a welcome sight after the day. The group finds an outcrop to use as a shelter for the night, and they try to gather enough materials for a fire. All they can find are bits of dry cactus that only burns for about half the night. Tarian takes the first watch, Mastodon takes the second, and Roth takes the third, with Rauros being enlisted to help Roth on his shift. On the third shift, the fire has gone cold, and the full moonlight casts a silver glow and deep shadows over the landscape. The night has brought out creatures that hunt at night, and Widget's ears perk up as another fennec fox scampers between the boulders. The black shapes of bats catching insects mid-flight add to the activity of the night. Roth's eyes catch two large shapes moving across the desert towards the camels. As they approach, Roth recognizes the forms from his past trips to the desert: they have two pincer-like claws, and a pointy tail arced over their backs: two large scorpions. Roth hurries to the tents and wakes up Tarian, Alex, and Mastodon; hopeful that the four of them can fend off the scorpions and let the magic-users rest. With only a little bit of cajoling he manages to get them both up and fully awake, and quickly relays the potential threat to the camp.

Tarian tries to sneak around behind the approaching creatures, but they see him. Mastodon charges forward towards the scorpion closest to the tethered camels and swings his great sword, but it is deflected off the carapace. The scorpion in turn snaps its claws at Mastodon, but misses, and then it brings down its stinger and punctures him in the shoulder. Rauros claws into the same scorpion with both claws, slashing at its side. Roth fires a sleep arrow at the second scorpion and hits with two arrows, but it is not affected by the sleep arrow. Alex swings his sword at the first scorpion and hits it, while the second scorpion snaps at Alex with claws that miss, but the stinger finds its target and punches into his arm.

Tarian sneak attacks the second scorpion and hits it with his rapier. Mastodon brings down his great sword heavily on the first scorpion and finds a weak point in the armor to push in deep, bringing down the scorpion. Rauros turns his attention to the second scorpion, and pounces on it, tearing it apart with his claws and jaws.

After they remove the scorpion corpses from the campsite and wash up, all except Alex find their bedrolls again, and sleep through the rest of the early morning in quiet comfort. Alex decides to not bother with sleep, and takes a walk around to clear his mind.


	24. Surviving Elements: 1st of Abadius pt 1

**1st of Abadius,** **368 of the 3** **rd** **Astra Era** **:** **The Temple Beneath the Sands (pt. 1)**

 _ **The Al Querin**_

When the sun rises over the campsite, the group takes in a quick breakfast before continuing on. During the travel, one of Alex's saddle bags rips open when he passes by a sharp outcrop of rocks, and he hazily gets down off the horse to collect all his belongings that came tumbling out. He fails to notice that Widget pops into the mess and steals Sara's journal. Widget scurries back to Poppet, who quietly pockets the journal for later reading. After the mess is cleaned up, the party carries on through the cloudless brown landscape. Lo plays an adventure song to help ease some of the tension and fatigue felt by the group, and by the end of the day they see a tower on the horizon. It appears to be about 3 stories tall, square, and rather unremarkable in ornamentation and structure. It is made of adobe, and it appears to be suffering from age and elements. The top of the structure looks like it has collapsed, and is open to the elements; there are only a few walls standing in the temple as a whole.

They approach the front entrance, and see an open doorway. Inside, sand has blown into the foyer space, piled in the corners like drifted snow. They see two rooms open on either side, both with their walls collapsed and the empty rooms beyond visible from the foyer. In front of them there is a hallway. Tarian volunteers to go first down the hallway, and the rest of the group follows behind. They come to a T, and to their left is a hallway that seems to be letting in light, and to the right there is darkness. They head left first, and find a collapsed room full of drifted sand that is otherwise empty. They turn around and take the remaining hallway, having an increasingly difficult time trying to see in the dark. They do make out another T in the gloom; to the left is a staircase leading up, and to the right a hallway that they take, finding a staircase leading down at the end. At the landing at the bottom of the stairs, they see a hallway lined with empty prison cells. The doors are all open, and more soft sand has blown into each of them. At the end of the hallway is another set of descending stairs that they take into darkness.

The group suddenly picks up the sound of voices from behind them, as if someone is having a conversation, and then silence again. Widget's ears twitch, and then the group picks up the sound of footsteps getting closer. Roth nocks and arrow, and Poppet blows a Breeze Kiss to push a gust of air up the staircase, trying to disrupt or disturb someone that might be approaching. Rauros sniffs the air and can smell something coming closer. Tarian lights his hooded lantern, and as he does so, an object is thrown down the stairs, landing in front of them. It begins to fill the hallway with smoke, and the group coughs and chokes on the smoke. Roth makes the decision to rush up the stairs with an arrow drawn, and everyone else follows behind him. At the top of the stairs, they see two individuals in desert garb, wearing a cloth mask that covers their face that draw scimitars from their belts.

The clear threat that the two individuals emanate prompts Roth to loose the nocked arrow, hitting one of the men hard with an arrow. Poppet follows suit and successfully casts Misfortune on the man Roth did not aim for. Mastodon throws himself into a rage and brings down his sword on the man Roth attacked, and he falls in a heap on the ground. Lo sings a Song of Courage to inspire the group, and Rauros tries to intimidate the other man but succeeds in sneezing out smoke and sand instead.

Myne wants to try to get the man to surrender, so she shouts, "Look at what happened to your friend!" as she points to the dead man in the sand, not sure if the man can understand her.

In a language that Mastodon and Poppet can understand, the man shouts back, "You are on the soil of the Al Querin! I must take your lives!"

When Myne gives a look of incomprehension, Mastodon shouts back to her, "Don't bother, he wants us dead!"

Mastodon also recognizes the name "Al Querin" as the name of the bandits that attacked their caravan earlier. Tarian tries to sneak up on the bandit, but he is noticed, and still manages to get a stab in. Alex swings his sword and misses, and the bandit tries to retaliate against the paladin and misses as well.

Roth aims an arrow at the bandit's sword arm, and manages to hit on the second attempt. Roth's hope is to follow Myne's lead and simply incapacitate the man to try to get more information out of him. Poppet successfully casts Hold Person, and the bandit is held completely immobile, only able to breathe. Tarian digs manacles out of his bag, and chains him up. He begins to shout at the group in Kishian after the Hold Person wears off, and Tarian tells him to speak in common if he wants to get away with his life.

In common, the bandit says, "Very well, do what you wish, but I will tell you nothing."

As the bandit finishes this statement, Alex rushes forward with his sword drawn and takes off the man's head.

The rest of the group turns to him with wide eyes, and Myne shouts, "Why did you do that? We could have tried to get useful information out of him!"

Alex bitterly replies, "There was nothing useful about him."

Tarian pulls the scimitar off the body, and finds a smoke bomb on each of them.

Myne stays fixed on Alex, and shoves him, shouting, "Would your goddess want you to do that?"

Alex holds his ground and says, "My god let me down, things need to happen the way I want them to happen."

The two exchange glares, and settle into an uncomfortable silence as Tarian decides to lead them back down the stairs to further investigate the temple. On the landing where they left off, the smoke is beginning to dissipate by the light of Tarian's hooded lantern. They see more cells on this landing, and they notice that the air is cooler. At the end of the hallway, they see a large room. Inside they see semi-permanent bed rolls, and an altar of scarab beetles, but it appears that is has been a long time since anyone has been there. As Tarian and Roth look around, they find sacks of gold and other valuables in a corner under one of the blankets amounting to 1400 coppers, 130 silvers, 50 gold, a Masterwork Longsword, a Potion of Touch of the Sea, a Scroll of Endure Elements, and a piece of Jasper worth about 25 gold. Roth takes the longsword, Poppet takes the scroll, and the rest of the money and gems are divided among the group.

On the other side of the room Widget and Rauros are fixated on one of the walls. Rauros sniffs and Widget perks his ears, and they both try to paw and scratch at the wall. Roth and Tarian notice the behavior of the animals, and point it out to the group. They approach the wall, and can hear the sound of running water. With a tap of the wall, they hear that it sounds hollow. Tarian tries to find a lever or other mechanism, but finds nothing. It seems that it is not a door, just a wall. Poppet decides to cast Blink, and pulls herself to the other side of the wall with Widget. Because of her dark vision, she can see that she's in a cavern with water flowing through a passage.

Mastodon shouts through the wall, "Poppet, are you there?"

She explains the cavern, and so Alex, Rauros, and Mastodon try the brute approach: run into the wall with full force. After their second rush, they bash in the wall and land in a pile at Poppet's feet.

They can barely see in the darkness, and Tarian remarks, "Poppet, how on Golarion are you able to see in this darkness?"

She replies with a shrugged, "Hmm? Let's go!"

With the lantern, they follow a shallow underground stream further into the cavern. After some distance, the stream seems to end, and they realize they are standing on the edge of a precipice, and the stream flows down into a deep hole in the earth. As they listen, they hear the sound of splashing water from quite far below.

 _ **The Water Guardian**_

When the group looks down to gauge the distance to the bottom of the cavern, only those with dark vision can make out the bottom: a large pool of water collects the falling stream at the bottom. Poppet casts Dancing Light, and they see that they are in the middle of a ceiling in a cavern, and the drop is devoid of any handholds to aid a climb down. Alex tries to detect evil and senses none, and Poppet tries to detect magic, and detects none.

The group hesitates about taking such a deep plunge without knowing the dangers at the bottom, so Myne shapeshifts into an eagle, and flies into the chasm. She disturbs a bat colony that swarms past her, but she maintains her glide and dodges through them. She sees a large-sized cavern about 30 feet wide and 60 feet long, and at ground level there is a path to the west leading out of the cavern, and to the east is a path opened up by the stream, carrying it away. She also sees that the pool of water is very clear and deep, with nothing threatening about the cavern, other than the drop. She flies back up to the group and perches on Alex's shoulders. She tries to speak and realizes that she can't communicate in animal form, so she pops into her normal shape, toppling off Alex's shoulder when she does. She relays what she has seen to the group, and they begin making discussions over how they will reach the bottom.

Some begin to take out lengths of rope, Alex fusses over his armor and the weight that might pull him under the water when they hit the bottom. Tarian begins to tie off some rope and runs it down the cliff, but Alex still puts up resistance about taking the rope. Poppet casts Feather Fall on each person, and makes a graceful leap off the cliff with her bangles jangling and Widget wrapped around her neck like a scarf. Mastodon takes it as a good sign when they see her float, picks up Alex and throws him over the side. Tarian takes the opportunity to have some fun and jumps after him, landing on Alex's back and surfing him to the bottom, leaping off just before Alex hits the water, and landing on the bank. The rest of the group roll their eyes and take the jump, landing safely in the water below.

Most of them are soaking wet and standing on the bank when Poppet's lights go out, and they are left in utter darkness. Tarian fumbles for his hooded lantern and lights it, giving it to Lo to hold for him so that he can scout ahead. He decides to head down the tunnel to the west since the hole the water is seeping through is too small for a human to fit. They all follow Tarian, with Lo holding the lantern behind Tarian, and Mastodon bringing up the rear.

The tunnel is constricting; even the shorter members of the group have to bend slightly to walk through, and as it makes a turn to the south and narrows further, Mastodon suggests sending the fox out to scope out the size of the tunnel. They take the sound advice, and Widget scampers forward, relaying back to Poppet his thoughts: after 20 feet, the tunnel opens up. They press on, and find themselves able to stand, and the walls are wide enough for two of them to stand side-by-side. They come to the bottom of a sheer cliff, and as they look up, they see a platform about 30 feet up. Tarian throws a grappling hook up, and they all climb up behind him. Rauros needs help up, so Poppet casts Levitate on him, and he slowly rises to meet them with Widget on his back for the novelty of the ride. At the top, the tunnel continues south, still large enough to walk through comfortably.

The tunnel opens up into a cavern, and those with sharper eyes catch movement: 5 medium-sized crab-like creatures that seem to be feeding from a small pool of water to one side. Myne and Roth recognize them as Cave Fishers, neutral vermin that are predatory. Mastodon agrees to go first, hoping that his size will negate the possibility of being seen as food, and everyone follows behind him. The Cave Fishers move out of the way for Mastodon, but Alex notices that they are scurrying behind him: three are walking along the sides of the cave, one is right behind him, and one is on the ceiling eyeing him. Myne casts Animal Trance, and two of them lose interest and scurry away. The Cave Fisher on the ceiling spits a filament web at Alex, hopeful to reel him in for dinner, but misses, and Alex quickly pushes everyone forward into the tunnel on the opposite side from where they came in.

The tunnel narrows, and they can see the prints of Cave Fishers heading south, which they follow. The cave opens up again into a large cavern with a small underground lake. The water is dark and still, and the only way around the lake is to the left of them, on a small, narrow ledge about three feet wide. Not being able to see the contents of the lake makes Mastodon suspicious, so he throws a large rock in the water, which makes a loud * _sploosh_ * noise, and creates a great disturbance in the still waters, but nothing happens other than that. Lo casts Flare, and the blast of illumination exposes the whole cavern, including an opening in the cavern on the far side of the ledge. Mastodon takes the lead, knowing that they now had a reason to use the ledge: it was their way forward. Tarian follows close behind him, and they tell everyone else to stay back, expecting to become targets of whatever might be waiting in the water. As Mastodon begins to run across the ledge, he spots ripples in the water and draws his sword. When the ripples reach the ledge, a wall of water raises up, and out of it comes a large-sized water creature with crab-like claws and tentacled-jaws.

The creature lunges at Mastodon and grabs him in its claws, immobilizing his arms. Roth tries a sleep arrow, but it bounces harmlessly off its armor. The second and third arrows find their marks, but the creature does not fall asleep. Poppet casts Evil Eye and Cackles. Alex tries to pray to Iomedae to use Knight's Calling, but nothing happens to him, as if his goddess was no longer listening. Tarian tries to sneak, and stab but misses. Myne classifies the creature as a Chuul, an armored crustacean. She relays that the creature is an aberration that is intelligent enough to have a dialect, and they prey on victims by dragging them into the water and drowning them. She then turns into a mountain lion and runs with Rauros out on the platform to aid them. Rauros takes a bite, but misses. Mastodon tries to strategically take out the arm that is incapacitating him, and the first blow hits, but the second glances off the shoulder bone. It is not enough to weaken the arm to release Mastodon, much to his disappointment. Lo casts Fascinate on the chuul and it starts to stare off at Lo, paying the combatants no attention.

The chuul seems to shake off its momentary lapse and concentrates on the group once again. Roth tries another sleep arrow barrage, the first hits but the creature does not fall asleep while the other two shots miss. Poppet casts Cackle, but her Misfortune spell misses. Alex's frustration at the absence of his divine powers shows through, and he simply whacks at the creature with his sword. The first swing goes wide, while the second connects with the soft part of the chuul's underside. Tarian sneaks a direct stab at the arm that Mastodon is not concentrating on, and manages to hit it dead-on. Myne misses with all her claws, but Rauros manages to bite the creature. Mastodon's second swing is well-placed with all of his strength behind it, and delivers a heavy blow to the chuul. Lo casts Hideous Laughter, but the chuul does not find his jokes funny.

The chuul tries to use his paralytic tentacles on Mastodon but misses. Roth hits the creature with two of his arrows while Poppet casts Enlarge Person on Mastodon, making him grow in size to over ten feet tall. Alex swings his sword erratically and misses, while Tarian tries to slash at the creature's shell with his dagger, but it ricochets, and the shock from the kickback causes Tarian to drop his dagger, and the blade lands directly into his foot. As he screams in pain, Myne and Rauros both take turns missing their blows, but Mastodon takes another devastating swing at the creature, and it slumps into the water, slowly releasing Mastodon as it sinks.

Myne heals Mastodon of his wounds, and helps Tarian pull the dagger out of his foot. It doesn't seem to faze him, and he loots the creature, finding 70 gold and 10 platinum pieces, a Potion of Countless Eyes, and a Scroll of Blink.

Alex slumps back against the wall, and turns his eyes heavenward and shouts, "Way to help me! Another time you have failed me!"

The group try to ease the silence by divvying the gold, 28 gold pieces each, and Lo takes the scroll.

 _ **Underground Tobogganing**_

When they make their way through the opening in the wall, they find that the passage turns to the north, and in a steep decline. In the low light, they cannot see the bottom, and even those with dark vision cannot see enough to make the situation any better. As the group assesses the situation, Lo decides the best course of action is to just slide the whole way down. He pulls out the tarpaulin of his tent and begins to place it at the beginning of the incline like a carpet ride. Seeing his plan, Myne excitedly joins him on the tarpaulin, and before the group can really talk it through, Lo and Myne have shoved off and begin to skid down the decline. The rest of the group realizes too late that their only light source also took off for the toboggan ride, and they find themselves in darkness when the backs of Myne and Lo are too far gone to make out. Blindly, they begin to slowly slide down on their feet, following after their bard, druid, and light source.

Lo and Myne squeal in excitement at the ride through curves, gathering speed until the tunnel makes a sharp turn. Lo manages to steer the tarpaulin around the corner, but Myne is bucked off the back and rolls to a stop in a small outlet in the tunnel. Lo continues all the way to the bottom of the tunnel where it slopes off and he comes to a comfortable stop with the lantern still lit. In the outlet, Myne gropes around in the dark until she picks up the sound of something shuffling along the ceiling above her. She stops moving, and pricks her ears, waiting to see what to do. She hears the skidding sounds of the rest of the party that join her in the outlet. She whispers to them about the noise she hears, and although most cannot see anything, they turn their heads upwards. For Mastodon and Poppet, they can see in the dark, and what they see are two creatures with tentacles dangling from the ceiling. Poppet knows enough that these creatures are poisonous, and that they usually paralyze their prey before dragging them off to feed. Poppet takes Myne's hand, and pulls her towards the entrance of the outlet, and without too many words, encourages everyone to take to the tunnel and catch up with Lo before they become lunch.

All but Alex and Myne make it down to the bottom without incident. Myne slips, bumps into Alex, and the two of them clang to a stop at Lo's feet. Lo is still grinning from the excitement of the ride, and happy to see that the rest of the group has made it down safely. When they turn their attention further down the tunnel, they see that it looks more 'worked'; a hall in a temple instead of a tunnel in a cave. The floors are flat, and the walls make neat corners and edges. Tarian takes the lead, keener to the knowledge that man-made walls mean man-made traps.

 _ **Puzzles, Traps, and Curses**_

The group did not go far into the hallway before Tarian detected a trap on the floor. A section of flooring had some give to it, and after he disabled the release mechanism, they continue further into the passage until it comes to an abrupt dead end. After some searching around the door for a catch or latch, they can tell that there must be a door, and after brushing away some dust, they find an inscription on the door, and they see little compartments where objects could fit:

_ + _ - _ x _ ÷ _ x _ = 50

Next to it, they see cubes with numbers 1-6 on them. It is a math riddle, and Mastodon is the first to work it out; slotting the numbered cubes in the following order:

6 + 3 - 4 x 5 ÷ 1 x 2 = 50

They hear a mechanical contraption begin to tick, and the unlatching of a door. The wall in front of them swings open towards them, and as it opens, they feel a gust of dry, old air escape from the opening. As they cautiously step inside, they can tell that they are seeing something that none has seen in a very long time. The hallway is very old and unfamiliar: traces of cobwebs, dust, stone fragments, and walls that look like they were once painted, but now are faded beyond recognition. The hall continues, and Tarian again takes the lead to look for traps. He senses a trap on his right, and finds the mechanism to disable what looks like a poison dart trap in the wall. They continue in terrified caution, and come to a room. When they look in, they see a medium-sized figure wrapped in bandages. Its head has an elongated snout, and they can see a tail as well.

It senses their presence, and without warning lets out an eerie noise that paralyzes Lo, Myne, and Rauros with fear. Poppet lets out an Ear-Piercing Scream that seems to daze the creature. Seeing Tarian in the lead, it slams into him with unexpected speed, and knocking the wind out of him. Realizing that he was unable to detect the evil presence of the undead creature, Alex lets out a shout of rage while pulling off his pendant of Iomedae, and throws it against a wall. He swings at the creature, but in his rage misses completely. Tarian takes a stab at the creature, while Roth, knowing that the creature is not human, fires a couple blunt arrows to see the effect. Mastodon charges and attacks; the swing from his sword knocking the mummy prone.

Poppet sends Widget to stealth and pick up Alex's discarded holy symbol while she casts Misfortune on the mummy. Lo casts Blind, and the prone mummy gets to its feet, allowing Alex and Mastodon to both take a couple extra swings. Alex's rage shows, and he takes a heavy swing with his sword, ignoring the shouts and protests coming from Myne at the treatment of his goddess. Rauros charges in once the paralysis wears off, ripping the mummy apart.

As soon as the danger of the creature is over, Myne and Alex immediately start into a fight.

Myne shouts in despair, "Look at you! You have fallen! Where is your goddess?"

Alex crosses his arms and in a defiant voice says, "She is not my goddess any longer! She did not come for me!"

While they rage back and forth, Tarian starts to feel heavy on his feet and takes a seat on the cold floor, shuddering and shaking. Poppet sees him wearily sit, and checks him over; she senses a curse that makes her shudder: Mummy Rot.

She curses through her teeth, "Shit...fuck! That mummy must have placed the rot on Tarian when it first hit him. Mummy Rot is a curse and a disease; the curse must be lifted before the disease can be magically removed."

She looks at Tarian levelly, and continues, "Tarian, the curse cannot be recovered from naturally, and each day may bring you closer to death as the curse and disease pull away your life."

Myne hears Poppet's explanation over their bickering, "What!? I cannot lift a curse! We need to get out of here, and in the meantime, I will offer up a prayer to Gozreh for speed and protection."

She drops to her knees, and begins to pray.

In the middle of her prayer Alex kneels next to her, and with venom in his voice says, "The gods will do nothing."

Anger and despair well up in Myne, and the interruption of her prayer makes her snap: she turns and punches Alex in the face. It hurts her hand more than it hurts Alex's face, and he pushes her to the floor in retaliation. Seeing the beginnings of a brawl, Mastodon steps in between Alex and Myne to try to stop the fight, but the two continue to swing and curse at each other despite the body in the way. Lo takes out his lute and plays a song to try to neutralize the fight, and the calming chords are enough to at least stop the two exchanging blows. They stand apart in angry silence as the body of the mummy is looked over; they find 200 gold, a Scroll of Jump, and a Wand of Protection from Law.

Myne tries to have one last word, "Alex, pick up your pendant! You cannot leave it here!"

In response, Alex turns away from her and walks out of the room.

 _ **A Leap of Faith & Ancient Treasure**_

In the hallway leading out of the room, Tarian assumes the lead, despite pokes from the rest of the party to let the faithless Pally go first. Tarian immediately detects and disables another trap, this one a swinging axe trap. They make their way into another room where there is a large pit full of snakes that takes up the entire width, except for a small bridge going across that has collapsed, leaving a ten-foot gap in between. Lo plays Inspire Confidence as Roth volunteers to make the jump first with a rope tied to his waist. Mastodon holds the other end in case he falls, and with that Roth makes a graceful leap to the other side, and prepares to hold the rope for the next to cross. Poppet shrugs, casts Flight on herself, and with Widget on her shoulders makes the jump fearlessly without the rope. Tarian ties the rope off, and jumps next, as does Alex.

Myne takes the rope next, and as she prepares to jump, Alex shouts sarcastically, "May your god protect you!"

She says, "Gozreh will."

As she takes the jump, her foot catches on a stone and she falls head-first into the pit. Roth and Alex hold tight to the rope, and it catches her before she falls too far. With care (and a smirk), they hoist her up, red-faced with embarrassment from the fall.

Lo shouts, "Safety is for suckers!" and makes the jump without the rope.

Mastodon follows with the rope, and the entire group holds the other end of the rope just in case he doesn't make it, but he does without their aid.

Once on the other side, the group finds a set of descending stairs. Poppet senses strong magical energy in the tunnel, and they descend for a long time. The stairs finally open into a space that looks only half completed; the walls look unhewn in some places. To one side of the room, they see a mural etched into the stone, with what looks like two figures with elongated snouts and tails praising something in the sky. There are three spherical shapes in the sky: the sun, moon, and a third object that more than likely was the Starstone, but as they discuss it, they know the Starstone fell out of the sky during the First Event, more than 6,000 years ago. As they examine more of the mural, they come to a diagram on the wall that, from far away, looked like part of the mural. The diagram is carved into the stone, with spherical openings that look like something would fit inside them. They find spherical stones that would fit the openings, and they also find writing next to the diagram in a language none of them are sure about. Underneath that language is another inscription that looks like a translation of what is written above, but even the translation looks foreign. Lo and Tarian examine it, and determine that it is ancient Azlanti, and with some fumbling manage to make out a rough translation that says to fit the numbered stones into the diagram, but that none of the numbers can sit next to a number directly above or below it. Poppet gleefully puts the stones into place with next to no hesitation.

...6-4

2-8-1-7

...5-3

The wall with the diagram swings open, and they hear a mechanical sound as something is slotted into place. What they see beyond the door is a set of descending stairs, and they start to discuss the impact of the path they are treading: if the translation on the wall was in Azlanti, no one has been in these halls in over 6,000 years. Tarian's blackened, cursed arm begins to tingle as they descend, and he can feel the corruption moving up past his forearm. When he announces this to the group, they take heart that they are on the right track for finding at least the black ooze associated with his ailment, if not the crystal they are also seeking.

At the bottom of the staircase, they find themselves in a large, domed room, and their eyes widen in wonder as they take in what is contained within: all around the room is vast and varying forms of treasure. Before anyone can react to what they are taking in, Poppet tells the group that she feels a large surge of magic, and that it would be wise to not touch the treasure until they can determine the source of the magic. They are not standing in the room long before they see a pile of gold coins start to stir, and then they see a bony forelimb protrude, then a tail, and finally the figure of a large, bony skeletal dragon rears up at them.

Mastodon rushes at the dragon to get in front of Tarian and deals a heavy blow with his great sword. He was worried that Tarian, in his weakened state, would not last long against the blows of a dragon. Alex mockingly prays to Iomedae and takes a swing at the dragon, but the sword ricochets off the rib cage of the dragon. Poppet casts Fly on herself, and flies into the opening of a tunnel on one side of the domed room. Roth nocks three blunt arrows that find their target twice. The dragon opens its maw, and the group stares at the purple, crackling inside before it heaves and blows an Electrical Storm down the hallway at everyone in its path, hitting Mastodon, Tarian, Roth, Lo, Myne, and Rauros. Myne turns into a mountain lion, and she and Rauros charge the dragon with teeth and claws, biting the target after moving in next to one front limb. Lo casts Inspire Courage using his lute. Tarian drinks a Cure Moderate Wounds potion and then moves into a chamber across from him.

Mastodon takes two large swings at the dragon that both connect while both of Alex's miss. Poppet sends Widget out to cast Cure Light Wounds on the weakened Lo. Roth maneuvers out of the way of the mouth of the dragon and hits with one arrow. The dragon turns its attention on Alex and bites down, but Alex blocks with his shield. Then it claws at Alex and Mastodon, raking claws against Mastodon's chest. A wing crunches down on Myne, and the tail sweeps from behind to whip her also. Myne and Rauros respond with a few claws and bites of their own while Lo's Blind spell fails, and he continues his song of Courage. As a last-ditch effort, Tarian decides to throw a bottle of brandy at the dragon, shattering the bottle and spraying the liquid on the floor.

Mastodon makes his first sword swing count, but on the second, the reverberation from the blow shakes the sword loose from his hand, and it falls to the ground with a clatter. Alex takes his torch to the brandy, lighting the liquid (and dragon) on fire, but his sword swing fails to connect. Poppet casts Ill Omen, and Widget comes back to her while Roth hits with one out of three arrows. The dragon misses Alex with his bite and one claw, and hits him with the other, and one wing hits Myne while a final tail whip sends her to the floor unconscious. By her side Rauros misses with every hit. Lo successfully casts Blind on the dragon while Tarian misses his sneak attack.

Mastodon reaches down to retrieve his sword, and the dragon responds with a snap from his jaws. Alex lands a heavy blow with his sword while Poppet sends Widget out to revive Myne. Roth makes three successive shots with his bow, enraging the dragon. It opens its maw again, and blasts Mastodon with another Electrical Storm, sending him to the ground unconscious. From her prone position on the floor, and risking another attack, Myne tries to heal Mastodon, but her spell is not enough to bring him back to consciousness, and the dragon's snap at her misses. Meanwhile, Rauros rips into the dragon with both claws, and the limbs of the creature give way, then more bones crumble away, and eventually the creature falls apart, landing in a pile of bones and dust at their feet.

When the group knows the danger is gone, they immediately rush to Mastodon's prone body on the floor. Roth takes out a Cure Moderate Wounds potion to revive Mastodon, and pulls off Mastodon's helmet in order to drain the liquid into his mouth. The group has a jarring reaction when they see a half-orc with light green skin, black hair, and tusks protruding from his mouth. Mastodon's race had been 'assumed' human but he had never revealed it, preferring to keep his face covered to avoid the reactions from those that would take some offense to his very existence. The group had never had a good experience with half-orcs; for some, the only ones they had known were dead by their hands.

Myne gasps and takes a step back, Poppet giggles, and lets out an, "Oh!"

Roth breathes in and says, "In my years of training under my father to become an ambassador, I have come to know that words are more important than where someone comes from."

He looks at the group for their responses.

Poppet takes a more serious attitude and replies, "We have travelled with him for a while, and he has fought honorably."

Lo crosses his arms with some indignation, and simply says, "He's a half-orc."

Tarian shrugs and says, "If I can get along with humans, I can get along with half-orcs."

Roth nods an acknowledgement of everyone's input, and gives Mastodon the potion. Mastodon's eyes flutter open, and he lifts himself up onto his elbows, suddenly aware that the group is around him. He makes eye contact with Roth, who is holding out Mastodon's helmet for him. Mastodon snatches his helmet, breathing heavily at the sudden realization of what the group knows as Roth then offers a hand to help him to his feet. In a panic, Mastodon reaches for his sword and jumps to his feet, standing at the ready for a fight.

Tarian smiles at the display and says, "Relax, we aren't going to hurt you."

Lo on the other hand says with some malice, "Why so defensive, we just healed you?"

Poppet quietly says, "We all have our secrets."

Mastodon lowers his sword and growls, "This gets out to NO ONE!" and gives Lo a significant stare as he puts the helmet back on.

Lo whispers under his breath something about some 'quiet money' but doesn't push it. In the silence, Tarian lets out a groan of pain, and when he pulls back his shirt sleeve, the corruption in his arm has moved up past his elbow and is turning black.

Mastodon had not noticed the corruption before, and reacts with, "What's wrong with his arm?"

Tarian shows a weak grin and says, "Curiosity killed the cat…"

The group as a whole seems to recognize the urgency of their situation, and quickly picks up some of treasures they find in the room: a Rod of Ice, a Pair of Magnetist's Gloves (Disarm), a Potion of Bull Strength, an Oil of Daylight, and a Set of Red Dragonhide Plate Armor. They also find 800 pieces of lapis lazuli (4000 gold), 120 jaspers (3000 gold), 400 pieces of hematite (2400 gold), and 5 garnets (250 gold). They also find a Scroll of Wall of Force, an engraved mythril scarab (400 gold), a Masterwork Darkwood Lute (300 gold), and a golden chess set (500 gold).


	25. Surviving Elements: 1st of Abadius pt 2

**1st of Abadius,** **368 of the 3** **rd** **Astra Era** **:** **The Temple Beneath the Sands (pt. 2)**

 _ **Ancient & New Confessions**_

With the crumbled heap of the bone dragon at their feet, the group searches the room for treasures. Under a heap of gold in a corner, they also find a very frail-looking humanoid skeleton. When Myne examines the skeleton, she finds huge claw marks across the rib cage, and as she is making other careful examinations of the body, Tarian spots a pouch on the ground next to it. He carefully picks it up, and finds it to be a Bag of Holding (Type 1). Inside the bag, they find a piece of parchment that appears as though it has not aged a day (one of the special attributes of a Bag of Holding is that it does not occupy the same space and time as the world outside). Tarian recognizes the language on the parchment as ancient Azlanti, the same language as the translation on the stone puzzle. He reads it out loud for the group to hear, and it turns out to be a confession of sorts, apologizing to the world for what he and other explorers had done:

 _Let this be the last entry from a man alone after seeing the end of his people. Let this be an apology, for it was we who brought down the sky. Let it be known for future historians, let me tell the story of the last days of the Azlanti._

 _Azlant: a paradise of knowledge and innovation. I wish I could still see the grand cities with their towers that reached to the heavens. We were blessed living under the three celestial spheres: Sun, Moon, and Starstone. A blessing my people took for granted._

 _I always knew the discovery by Dr. Archimedes was a dark omen. Our academics were lusting for more knowledge, but look at where our lust got us. Our judgement was clouded, we could only see that which was right before us, we dug too deep searching for the source of the dark crystal. We found that source._

 _The opening of that door caused the earth to quake and split. Few of us made it to the surface; I now wish I too had not. For the image of the crystalline moon falling upon Azlant will be scared into my mind until the creatures of this place take me._

 _I write swiftly now as I hear murmurs out there, somewhere in the dark._

 _It was five years ago on what was then the northernmost expedition that Dr. Archimedes discovered the first of the dark crystals. Further study found that they emitted a much different magic than that of the Starstone. The fragment found was small. Further research required additional samples. The academic council granted us the means to begin a dig at the site._

 _The institute spared no expense to unlock potentially revolutionary magical energy to be harnessed. Hundreds of workers were brought in to dig the mine shaft. They dug deep into the rock. On the 230th day of the dig we found the first flow of the dark ichor. Study of the ichor found similar properties with that of the black crystals._

 _Then, at one year and 76 days, we found it: a door, sealed, covered in runes that even our greatest linguists could not decipher. There were however two symbolic shapes they could translate. Shapes only seen in scarce remnants on cave walls, made by our earliest ancestors._

 _How these shapes ended up in such a location is still unknown. Many at the dig site became very uneasy about the whole thing. Whispers of ancient gods and their wrath began to spread. Perhaps they were right. There was, however, the pressure by the institute. If we did not open the door, they would fund another who would. Dr. Archimedes made the choice._

 _One year and 182 days, it took the physical strength of 60 men and magical forces of 42 mages, but we opened it… then the ground… and the sky…. shook._

 _We tried to take the boats to find safety, but the seas swallowed us. It was several days ago I found myself on an unfamiliar shore. I sought help, but what I found were strange creatures: lizards that walked on two legs. I have been running and hiding, Now I sit alone within these walls. I thought this place would keep me safe, it will instead become my tomb._

 _They are nearing now…. if whoever finds this…. forgive us…. forgive me … I Andoran Maltaros, am sorry._

Tarian shudders as he finishes reading the confession, and quietly says, "I need a couple minutes to myself while we rest…"

As Tarian walks away, Roth takes the Bag of Holding for his own. In a corner of the room by himself, fearing his own death from the curse that was gripping him, and the numbness and pain creeping up his hand from the corruption of the black ichor, Tarian hurriedly makes the decision to document something in his journal in dwarvish: _I am Simbelmyne Elladan's father._

The group continues to press on further into the temple, and decide to start with the part of the room with the collapsed wall. They see a large cave formation, and a tunnel big enough for a dragon to fit through. They can see a black substance flowing down the walls, and Tarian passes an empty bottle to Lo to Mage-Hand more of the black substance into a stoppered bottle, and then into their Bag of Holding. The group steps out from the tunnel into a much larger, cavernous space. There is a small pond of the black liquid substance, and as they look out into the pool, it almost looks alive. They see tendrils reaching up out of the goo, and Lo decides it would be a good idea to take their demon head out of the Bag of Holding and throw it into the pool. It bobs on the surface for a moment, staring back at them with its tongue sticking out before slowly sinking, creating bubbles on the surface, and then there is stillness. They wait patiently for something to happen, and when nothing is forthcoming, they look around the cavern more.

On one wall of the cave, they see a deep impression as if something had come out of the wall and left the imprint behind, collapsing part of the wall. When they take a closer look, Roth, Myne, and Mastodon see that the indentations are in the shape of bones, and they determine that the bone structure of the impression matches the horrific dragon that they just fought. It didn't take much deduction to see that the dead creature must have been somehow resurrected from its resting spot by the presence of the black substance.

Myne speaks up, "This is a sizeable pool of ichor, and the qualities that the liquid seems to possess would be worthwhile to pass on to Cygar."

She looks around hopefully for a tiny creature that she might be able to send as a messenger so as to not waste one of their feather tokens, but the cavern is empty as far as she can tell, and she vows to keep her eyes open as they continue on in the cavern.

Poppet's curiosity is piqued, and she asks (knowing the answer), "Who is Cygar?"

Not willing to divulge too much about the group, Tarian responds, "An acquaintance."

Poppet decides to not pursue the information any further, but it confirms for her even further that this is the group of adventurers sent forth on behalf of the Pathfinders, an organization that she has been affiliated with for many, many years.

 _ **The Goal and The Cure**_

Seeing no exit from the cavern, they make their way back into the room with the treasure and the dragon, and then on to the other doorway in the room directly across from where they first entered. They hear the sound of air passing between the slit in the doorway, and Tarian opens it carefully. What they see beyond is a short hallway, and at the end of the hallway is a room. The air feels thick with magical energy, and they enter the round room that is unfurnished except for a short white stone pedestal in the center. On top of the pedestal, glowing with energy is a white crystal about one and a half times larger than their own crystal. Tarian approaches the pedestal cautiously, aware that if there was to be a trap, it would surely be here. He finds nothing out of the ordinary, and carefully removes the crystal from its pedestal.

Poppet's senses reel at the level of magic in the room, and from the realization that the crystals in her harrowing cards give off the same magical energy as this white crystal in the center of the room. She focuses on Tarian taking the crystal from the pedestal, and gasps as she watches the black coloring of his corrupted arm recede slightly, and then return. It gives the group hope that the cure to the corruption from the black liquid may end up being the opposing force: a white crystal. Lo hurries to their Bag of Holding, and pulls out the crystal that Father Prast gave to him seemingly ages ago. With Tarian holding the two crystals together, the recession of the corruption is even more profound, but still comes back. Myne rushes to her pack, and pulls out the crystal that Sara had retrieved from Eremine's tower and then gave to her just before she turned, and with Tarian cautiously cradling all three crystals, the group watches in awe as the corruption in his hand recedes all the way up his arm and then dissipates completely. Tarian breathes a sigh of relief, and gives each crystal back to its caretaker. When the crystals leave his arms he sees that at the tip of his hand a little bit of coloration returns, but the arm no longer feels constantly asleep, and Lo quietly whispers that the coloration might be a result of them carrying a black crystal in the Bag of Holding.

The group feels elated at finding what they had come for: another crystal to return to the Pathfinders, and their thoughts shift to making their way out of the temple as soon as possible. Their new priority is Tarian's life. There was a small moment of triumph at curing his arm, but the curse of Mummy Rot still resides in his body, and time is of the essence, since the curse and disease will slowly eat away at his body day by day. Their initial thought of heading to Gangai is quickly dismissed; Roth and Myne estimate that the time to travel that distance could be well over a week, and the Mummy Rot could take Tarian in as little as a couple days. They decide in the end that the Temple of Pharasma is their best bet, especially because of the easy access to priests and priestesses with the hopeful ability to take away the curse.

They arduously make their way back through the temple, and when they re-enter the first naturally-formed cave, Myne finds a bat to send a message to Cygar:

 _In underground desert temple: Large pool of black substance found; it has the ability to raise/reanimate the dead, and another white crystal found. -Myne._

When they make it back to the waterfall with the large drop, Poppet flies up and ties a rope to the one that was left dangling too far off the ground for any of them to reach. Roth tries the rope, which gives way, sending him splashing into the water. On Poppet's second try, the knot stays, and they all climb up, hoisting Rauros up last with Widget along for the ride while Poppet spends the last moments of flight to supervise.

 _ **The Al Querin Come to Play**_

When the group begin to pile through the opening into the sand-filled temple, they hear the sound of voices coming towards them, and Poppet and Mastodon recognize it as Kishian, "We found the bodies as they lay…. the gold is gone, and the wall is smashed in as if rammed by an ox!"

The voices then go quiet, but Mastodon knows that more members of the Al Querin must have found the bodies of their fallen comrades, and quietly draws his sword. The others see this, and draw their weapons as well.

Lo casts the Ghost Sound of a rattlesnake to possibly deter the men from coming further into the temple, and they see that it has the desired effect: the light that was coming towards them gets dimmer as if it were retreating. Poppet sends Widget up the stairs to investigate, and the group follows behind him at a good distance. Widget sees the two men walk outside, and he also sees a few more men around the perimeter of the temple, with light horses tethered nearby. It is dusk, they had spent nearly the entirety of the day underground, and the faint light of dusk is merciful on their eyes. Widget continues to watch as the two men approach another that looks to be in charge, and he also notices that the wind has picked up quite severely, blowing dust around and making it difficult to see in some instances.

The group decide that it is time for action, and begin moving up the stairs and getting into positions to strategically take out the enemies. Lo and Roth move first, and then Poppet casts a Sleet Storm in the area of the man in charge while Myne turns into a mountain lion and moves into position with Rauros. Tarian stealths quietly around a corner, and sees two more enemies at their only other exits. Mastodon and Alex also move up into position.

Lo moves up further and starts to play Inspire Courage on his new masterwork lute. Roth nocks a sleep arrow and hits one of the archers, and the second arrow drops the man. Hearing the noise when the man slumps over, another man moves in, fires an arrow but misses. Poppet moves closer to get in a better position while Myne charges a man in her line of sight down the hall. She bites into him, but doesn't manage to grab hold of his leg, while Rauros runs beside her to keep up. Tarian fires an arrow at an archer but misses. Mastodon moves up to the edge of a wall and readies his great sword for an incoming opponent, and Alex follows suit.

Lo stays in his location and continues to play while Roth fires a sleep arrow at a new target, hits the man, and he slumps forward asleep. He then fires another arrow at the body to finish him off. The men next to the one in charge move into the temple to investigate while a dwarf with a crossbow moves and fires a bolt at Tarian, but misses. The bolt whizzes into a wall next to him instead, and alerts him to the enemy's presence. Poppet casts Misfortune on the main enemy while Myne and Rauros both rush the dwarf with the crossbow, and hit hard. Tarian's crossbow bolt misses, while Mastodon and Alex both move out into the open at the same time to take on any enemies in their line of sight.

Lo moves in line of sight of the enemies moving down the hallway, and casts Hideous Laughter. The man immediately starts to laugh and shudders to the ground on all fours. Roth fires a sleep arrow at the dwarf, who falls unconscious, and the second arrow ensures he won't ever get back up. One of the two enemies that moved into the temple finds Lo and slashes into him while Poppet casts Evil Eye and Cackles. Myne and Rauros see no other enemies, so they move into the storm. Tarian moves and readies a shot for when an enemy appears while Mastodon takes a step forward and attacks the enemy around the corner. Alex attacks the same enemy and he falls unconscious from the combination of blows. The leader moves into the hallway and throws a javelin that slams into the wall behind the group.

Lo moves to get a better position to support while Roth moves and hits the laughing enemy with an arrow, knocking him unconscious and then killing him with another arrow. Poppet casts Evil Eye on the main enemy while Myne charges forward at a new crossbow-wielder across from the ice storm that subsides. As she rushes towards him, he gets off a shot at her, and it hits, knocking her to the ground. Rauros does manage to hit as Myne falls. Tarian hears the roar from Myne being hit, and moves and takes a shot at the crossbow-wielder but misses. Mastodon tries to charge and grapple the leader but misses. Alex moves towards the leader while the leader takes two damaging swings with his scimitar at Mastodon.

Lo delivers a coup de gras to one of the unconscious enemies while the crossbow enemy fires a bolt at Myne again. Roth moves up and nocks a sleep arrow at the leader, hitting him and putting him to sleep while Poppet moves up and Cackles. Rauros rips apart the crossbow-wielder, and the area goes silent.

The bodies of the Al Querin lay strewn about the inside and outside of the temple while the group collects their breath and their arrows. Tarian manacles the sleeping leader, and then begins to search him to disarm him and remove his other possible valuables, finding two long swords with a slight aura, a nice-looking cloak, two potions, and 40 gold. Roth tells the group he will hold onto the swords in his Bag of Holding until they can determine their worth, and Mastodon's scrutinous searching also reveals a dagger hidden in the sleeping leader's boot.

The group then discusses their best course of action with the leader: how to interrogate him and/or what to do with him. Alex tries to sneak up on the discussion with the intent to kill the man, but Poppet catches wind of his intentions and Webs him in place. In his rage at being thwarted, Alex tries to take a swing at her but misses. With the removal of Alex from the equation, Mastodon kicks the sleeping leader to wake him up. The leader slowly rises from the depths of sleep, and the looming figure of Mastodon swims into view.

In Kishian, Mastodon asks him, "Who are you?"

The leader puts up a defiant air, and says, "We are the Al Querin, and what you have taken is ours. You had best set me free; Qa-Saabir will be informed of this!"

Mastodon knows that 'Qa-Sabbir' is the notorious leader of the Al Querin: Arvio Mansur Qa-Saabir, known to reside somewhere in the Ogromen Desert.

He quietly replies, "How would he learn about this if you die?"

The bandit smiles and says, "He will find you, track you down, and destroy you."

Unmoved, Mastodon says, "What motivation do we have to keep you alive?"

The bandit starts to break, and nervously says, "If you want to spare me, I would be in your debt. I will do your bidding."

"Even if it is against Arvio?"

His reply is simple, "I like living."

"If we go our separate ways, how will we contact you?"

The bandit pulls out a messenger feather, and says, "This is a means to contact me."

Mastodon smiles, and says, "We'll talk."

He motions to Tarian to keep an eye on the bandit while Mastodon walks away to talk to Roth and Myne, who had both voiced the opinion to spare the bandit if possible, and relays to them the bandit's intentions. They reach the decision to let the bandit go, and to believe his words enough that they at least would not be threatened again by the man.

Mastodon walks back to the bandit and says, "Do you speak common?"

The bandit nods, and Mastodon continues in common, "If we let you go, where will you go?"

The bandit replies in common, "I will go east to rejoin Arvio."

The small voice of Poppet cuts in through the silence and says, "You may want to hurry..."

The web holding Alex in place for the interrogation was beginning to give way, and Alex makes one final cut to free himself of the webbing. He is agitated and angry at the imprisonment, but defiantly sheathes his sword once he is free. He stands there, looming and brooding over Poppet, which makes her incredibly uneasy.

Lo then speaks up and says, "Who made the mercenary the leader of this conversation? I could lead this!"

Poppet rolls her eyes and says, "Maybe you should learn Kishian first."

Tarian joins the conversation by adding, "The Temple of Pharasma is the closest sanctuary, and there is a rival group of bandits to the North. It would be rare to see them come down this far."

Mastodon shoots Lo a glance and says, "I don't have time for you."

He then turns to Alex and Poppet.

She still carries a worried look as she says, "You need to get that bandit out of here if you want him to live."

Mastodon then eyes Alex, who is looming over Poppet with menace and asks him, "What are you doing?"

Alex grits his teeth and says, "Standing. Clearly."

With a frustrated sigh, Mastodon motions to Tarian to remove the manacles.

The bandit bows, "Haidar Rauban is in your debt."

He then mounts a horse and rides away from the temple.

Mastodon can sense Alex's anger and intentions, and makes an effort to strategically step in front of him to prevent him trying anything and says, "Let's move."

Roth steps up to say, "We have to calm down, but we also need to make haste for the sake of the rogue."

When he goes to look in Tarian's direction, he finds the rogue looking through the bodies of the other bandits, and without a word Alex turns and walks away from the group to sit by himself. Tarian is not disappointed, he collects 6 each of: a crossbow, a short sword, a banded maul, 10 crossbow bolts, and 1 gold. They also wrangle the six light horses (Arabians) with their saddles. With the rogue's loot fetish satisfied (with a gleeful statement about the gold he would receive once he made trades in Gangai), they ride out, trying to get at least a couple hours under their feet before taking a rest.


	26. Surviving Elements: 2nd-4th of Abadius

**2nd-3rd of Abadius:** **Grit and Black Spires**

 _ **A Rough Ride**_

The next day the group rides out early in the morning and makes only brief stops during the day. Tarian's condition does not worsen, but they know it is just a matter of time. They are put on their guard when they feel a chill wind move in. Some distance to the south, they spot an earth-colored cloud building up, and recognize their danger: a sandstorm was heading their way. They quickly find a rocky outcrop to hunker down in just before the sandstorm overtakes them. The world goes dark as the sand attacks them: it is abrasive to the skin, and goes everywhere. It is not a restful night for the group as they huddle close together to try to keep the sand out.

The morning is hazy, and everything has a coating of sand blasted onto it. They miserably pack up and move out, knowing that the Temple of Pharasma is not far. By the end of the day (in which barely a word is spoken between them all), they see the spires of the Temple come into view. Inside the walls of the grounds, they dismount, following the camels to the stables, and greet the stable master, asking for attention from a cleric. A priest appears and walks them to the Temple after an explanation about their trip. They stay calm, despite their need, since Tarian's condition had not worsened, and as long as a priest inside could heal him, they were no longer in danger.

 _ **Pharasma's Touch**_

The priest guides them inside, explaining that the Priestess Gamora was going to want to speak with them about their trip. When they greet the Priestess, she asks about their travels, wanting to know the site's current situation and how the group fared on their mission. The group relays the information about the underground temple and the animated bone dragon they found within. They also explain the historical document they found, and the Priestess seems intrigued, saying that the Magi in Avalon would like to have this document in their collection. She is overwhelmed when Tarian mentions that he will make a copy, and donate it to the Temple's own collection as well.

Gamora smiles, and says, "I can feel a power that guides you all, you are for whatever reason in the favor of our gods. May you never forget that. May the gods of our realm continue to bestow their blessings upon you."

As she says those words, she makes a spiral pattern across her chest, and then lowers her head in prayer.

Alex turns and begins to walk away in disgust at the devout display before Gamora can say, "May Pharasma watch over us, I bid thee well adventurers, spend as much time as you need before departing."

Poppet sends Widget out to follow Alex and keep an eye on him, carefully staying out of his range. Gamora seems hurt by Alex's hostile exit, but rallies as another priest approaches with a tray. She nods at the priest, and invites the group to take a slice of Kolash - a bread formed into a spiraling rope on the tray with fruit and cheese surrounding it. The bread is a symbol of the church, and the priests step forward to take a slice of the bread, with the group following suit and giving quiet thanks for the blessing.

Before Gamora eats her slice, she says, "May Pharasma watch over us."

After they eat their slice, Gamora smiles and tells the group that they can spend as much time as they need in the Temple before continuing on.

Tarian approaches Gamora and explains the mummy they encountered and the curse upon him. He asks for the aid of Pharasma so that he might live. Gamora seems taken aback, but nods, takes him by the hand, and closes her eyes in prayer. Tarian feels some kind of force upon him as she prays, and does his best to not fight the unfamiliar intrusion.

A few moments later she opens her eyes, and calmly tells him, "You are well again, sir."

The group breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that Tarian's curse had been cured.

In true fashion for the rogue, he rubs his hands together and says, "And now to think about all the money we'll make when we get to Gangai!"

 _ **Mastodon & Poppet: Outsiders In**_

The group disperses to relax and blow off steam in their own fashions for the night. Their time in the underground temple and the ride back to the Temple of Pharasma had been hostile and above all stressful from their ordeals. Mastodon was anxious to find out what the group's plans were, since his original contract with the group had been fulfilled. He seeks out Poppet, and finds her on a side lawn with items strewn on the ground, appraising magical items found in temple. Poppet takes a look at the loot that they received from the temple, and finds that they have a +1 longsword, a Cloak of Resistance (+1 to Fire), and two Potions of Cure Light Wounds (Level +5).

Mastodon approaches as she mutters to herself about the possible value of the Cloak, and says, "Poppet, I don't mean to intrude, but I need some advice, and you're an outsider to this group like me. My contract with this group is over, I have fulfilled my obligation, and Tarian has paid me for the work. I am unsure what to do from here, and I thought I would see what your own plans were."

She smiles at him, setting the item aside and says, "I am inclined to continue to aid the group because of my past connections with a possible common organization. However, I understand if you do not want to accompany the group further. There is quite a bit of hostility being exhibited in the group; we seem to have joined them at a very strained hour. I know that your aid would certainly help, but the paladin and I are at each other's throats since he lost his goddess, who seems to have forsaken him."

She sighs, and calmly continues, "I hope he will find his god again, and get back on the right path."

Mastodon nods and says, "When paladins fall, they fall hard."

"Well, like I said, I intend to stay with the group despite their current flaws...if that makes your own mind any easier."

Mastodon thanks her for her opinion, and makes his way back to his own room for the night.

 _ **Alex, Poppet, & Lo: Abandoned Trinkets**_

Alex sits with his back against a tree, sullenly tossing pebbles at Widget, who is just far enough out of his range to be annoying. Poppet quietly approaches, and Alex stands when he sees her.

She walks up to Alex, and says, "I have something that belongs to you."

She pulls out Sara's journal and his pendant, saying "You might want to keep better track of your things."

He blankly looks at the items in her hands, and when he reaches out, he grabs hold of Poppet's braids, pulling her head to his.

Full of malice, and with gritted teeth he says, "One would be wise to not trifle with things that don't belong to you! I also recommend that your rodent stays as far away from me as possible."

He roughly releases her hair, pushing her away from him and storms off, leaving Poppet hurt and still holding his items.

Lo, who had been playing his lute nearby sees Alex's rough treatment of Poppet, and stands in Alex's way as he approaches, "What the hell Alex?!"

Alex responds with, "She got into my business."

Lo stands his ground despite the stormy presence of Alex and says, "You need to put the group ahead of your personal troubles."

This seems to give Alex some pause, and he grits his teeth and says, "You're probably right," before continuing to his room with Widget quietly scampering along behind him out of view.

Poppet approaches Lo, rubbing her head in pain, and Lo apologizes for Alex's behavior. They briefly discuss their own situations, and the talk turns to their horses when they discuss traveling through the desert. On behalf of the group, the two decide to sell the extra horses for 350 gold each, keeping one Arabian for Poppet. Poppet and Lo then make their way to their rooms. In her room, Poppet begins the arduous task of feeding her looted scrolls to Widget, and becomes completely absorbed in the process.

 _ **Roth & Myne: Night Moves**_

Roth and Myne meander together somewhat by accident, each preferring to be out of doors. They make their way to a quiet grove and sit, silently enjoying the company of each other and the peace of the grove. Myne idly pets Rauros and stares at a pool of water, lost in her pain and weariness.

Roth sits on the other side of Rauros and also stares at the pool, but his mind races, _What are we to do now? We have retrieved the crystal, and have been instructed to rendezvous with the Pathfinders somewhere to the north...Cresta, I think...but it sounds like Tarian, Mastodon, and Poppet may have interests in Gangai. Even I would like to go, mostly just to visit the region, but also to figure out more about our newcomers...Poppet is not revealing everything about herself...she is not a full human, I can sense it._

He looks over at Myne, and sees her hastily wipe a small tear from her eyes, _The hostility among us is becoming unbearable: Alex has lost his goddess and is completely self-destructive (destroying Myne and Poppet with him); Lo's knowledge of Mastodon's race seems to be giving him free reign to poke at the half-orc whenever possible; and Tarian seems fixed upon his ventures even at the cost of his own health. Can we even survive the trip together?_

He lets out a sigh, standing up as he says to Myne, "I'm going back to my room. I want to look at some maps of the region."

Myne breaks herself out of her reverie, looking at the elf with tired eyes, "Oh...what do you need to look at the maps for?"

"We have a bit of a predicament. I know Tarian wants to go to Gangai to unload his treasures and make new contacts for his guild...and I believe since Mastodon and Poppet are from the city, that they may wish to travel back to their city. At the same time, we've got Cresta to consider; it's where we've been instructed to meet up with the Pathfinders."

Myne smiles, and stands up with him, "I would be willing to help you. Last time I looked at our maps, I recall not seeing Gangai on our maps...Kish is quite vast. If you want, I could try to acquire some new maps to have a better view of Kish. I'll meet you at your room, yeah?"

Roth nods at her offer, and she heads off in the direction of the temple's library. There, she finds copies of four library maps that the library is willing to sell to her. With her new maps in hand, she quickly heads for Roth's room. When they lay out the maps on Roth's table, Myne gasps at the distance to Gangai: it would be nearly 14 days of travel east, and their rendezvous point in Cresta was straight north from the temple.

She looks at Roth as he considers the map with his hands at his lips, "Roth, in my opinion, the delay in meeting up with the Pathfinders is too great to consider Gangai. Look at the distance…"

Roth listens to her quietly, and finally says, "I think the best option is to call a meeting and discuss our course of action."

"I agree. This may end up being a parting of ways for our group."

She looks at Roth, who bends back over the map in contemplation, unsure of whether she should stay longer or leave him in solitude. She finally decides on the latter, quietly saying, "Well, you seem deep in thought, so I will leave you for the night. Perhaps I can expend my magic to heal our group before bed. Goodnight, Roth."

Roth looks up from the map, smiling, "Goodnight, Myne."

Myne knew many of the group members were weary, sore, and bloodied from their hastened pace through the desert. She knocks on Alex's door, quietly calling his name, but gets no response. She is fairly sure he is inside, but does not push it further- in his rage Alex frightened Myne. At Lo's door, she finds the bard limping slightly, and spends a Cure Light Wounds spell on his leg. There is no response at Poppet's door, although it seems that she is inside, hard at some work.

 _ **Tarian: The Promise of Protection**_

Tarian immediately takes up a residence in the library to make copies of the journal entry found in the temple. He translates the text into Common on a fresh piece of parchment, and presents it to the curator in thanks for the priestess saving his life. He also makes another two copies in the original ancient language and the Common language in order to have the texts ready to present to Avalon's curators if they ever were to make their way back to that city. When he finishes the copies, it is late at night, but he has more on his mind. He makes his way to the rooms with no intention of sleeping; he seeks out Mastodon in his room; Mastodon is a mercenary from Gangai, Tarian hopes to permanently recruit him.

Tarian ensures that no one else is around when he knocks on Mastodon's door, and Mastodon cracks the door to look at Tarian, "Yes?"

"I have a business proposal...can we meet privately?"

Mastodon nods at the rogue, and quietly admits him to his candlelit room. Seating themselves at Mastodon's table, Tarian pulls out two glasses and a jug of wine to split between them for the meeting.

After pouring out the deep red wine for each of them, Tarian explains his situation: "I have a guild to grow, and I am in need of information, connections, contracts, and trade agreements in Gangai. My hope is that your connections in Gangai will prove to be fruitful, producing royalties for you on top of a hefty salary paid out by me."

Mastodon nods as Tarian explains further about his guild and the types of business he is trying to attract, and he likes what he hears.

Tarian sighs as he thinks of his close call in the temple and adds, "On top of the connections, I also need a bodyguard for myself…and my daughter, Myne."

Mastodon's face does not change, but he asks, "Does she know?"

Tarian takes a swig of wine before saying, "No one in the group knows, not even Myne. But if something happens to me, I want you to watch after her. I'm sure I can depend upon your secrecy in this matter, but it is my own to deal with."

Mastodon thinks for a while, and then says, "I need to be able to make occasional visits to Gangai, no questions asked."

In response, Tarian produces a large pouch of gold, and places it on the table. He then holds his hand out across the table, and Mastodon reaches out his own to shake on the deal.

After they shake hands, they are interrupted by a knock at the door. Mastodon replies, "Who is it?" while Tarian hides in the closet.

He hears Myne's voice from behind the door, "It's Myne. I am checking to see if you need any healing attentions before I go to bed."

When he knows Tarian is hidden, he cracks the door open to see her. She carries a worried expression, saying, "Hi Mastodon. I did not find Tarian in his room, but I am administering cures...are you in pain?"

Mastodon's side ached and he had a deep cut on his arm, and he presents his injuries to the concerned druid. She closes her eyes and delivers two Cure Moderate Wounds and one Cure Light Wounds spells on the barbarian, spending the last of her spells on his injuries. She looks tired and weary from casting the spells, but satisfied at Mastodon's improved condition.

Mastodon reaches out to catch her as she swoons from the energy the expended, "Do you need help getting back to your room?"

"Thank you, but no. I can make it back to my room just fine."

She declines his offer, stumbling back to her room on her own.

Tarian quietly makes his way back to his chair once the door is closed, and refills his wine glass, saying with some admiration, "She is a great healer, just like her mother."

Mastodon takes the opportunity to find out more about the two of them, asking, "Her mother was good to you then?"

Tarian smiles, briefly recalling soft pale skin, piercing blue eyes, cascading red hair, and the smell of lavender and sweetgrass.

He holds up his glass to toast Mastodon, and says, "In more ways than one."

 _ **Knocking on Doors**_

Late at night, Roth finally makes his way to the group's rooms to rally them for a morning meeting. He knocks on Alex's door first, and announces his intentions to the otherwise unresponsive door.

He then asks again for Alex to come to the door, and after a brief silence, the door swings open, and Alex appears saying, "What can I do for you?"

Alex had a high level of respect for the elf, and may have been one of the only members of their group that Alex would have opened the door for.

Roth puts forth the invitation to come to a morning meeting to determine the group's course of action, and Alex replies with a little bit of malice in his voice, "I suppose, but that Poppet…. I may pop her in the face!"

Roth looks at him seriously, and says, "I would hope you can restrain yourself for the good of the group."

Alex concedes the point, "You're a wise person, and I will give you the benefit of the doubt. I'll sleep it off, just leave me for the night."

After the door closes behind Roth, Alex spends a few moments taking out his aggression on walls before finally 'sleeping it off.'

At Mastodon's door, he gives the same proposal, and he responds with, "It sounds reasonable, and I can give some advice, but I am not a leader. I'll give all that I can give."

Roth smiles and says, "You're an asset to the group, and we value your opinion."

At Lo's door, he greets Roth with a laid-back, "Hello, hello."

After the proposal is explained, he says, "Sure, sounds good."

With that he stretches out on his bed and goes back to sleep.

At Poppet's door, the smell of burning parchment and oil invades Roth's senses when she finally cracks her door open.

She looks tired like she has been up all night hard at work, and after Roth's explanation she says, "If the paladin promises to be civil, I can attend. Now if you would excuse me, I have hours of ceremonies to get through."

Tarian's door opens as well to reveal an elf that looks like he hasn't been sleeping, and he smells like wine. Tarian agrees to meet in the morning, and bids Roth good night.

 **4th of Abadius:** **Sleep It Off and Meet in the Morning**

After a good night's sleep for most of the group, the sun rises on the main hall where the group (all but Tarian) is seated for a breakfast of yogurt and bread.

Alex pokes at his food and complains, "Church fare…. meager food."

The group lets his complaint fall without a response, and after breakfast they make their way to a remote garden and assemble in a circle.

Roth suggests to Poppet to send Widget out to keep an eye out for eavesdroppers, saying, "You can never assume that there are no enemies around. Has anyone seen Tarian by the way?"

The group look at one another, but no answer is forthcoming, and they assume he is sleeping off his late night.

Once Widget is in place, Roth sighs heavily and steps forward. "We have a hard decision to make here. We have completed our objective in the desert temple, and we need to have a direction in which to continue on from here, and I feel that splitting up the group is a bad idea. The two directions that I see our group heading are Cresta to the north, allowing us to rendezvous with the people that are the reason our group was formed in the first place; and Gangai to the east, allowing us to be in a major city for trade, news, and other small personal reasons…" here he nods to those that are from Kish, and continues, "and I also have a wish to go to Gangai. How do we do this? We need to make a decision, and I am willing to facilitate the discussion."

As he speaks, he pulls out the maps of the area, thanking Myne for the new maps, and pointing to each destination in turn.

Myne steps forward first, voicing her opinion that the distance to Gangai was too great to consider it; that they would be weeks behind in reaching Cresta since they would have to backtrack after their time in Gangai. She acknowledges those with the desire to go to Gangai, conceding that they could leave for Gangai after rendezvousing in Cresta, depending on what 'the group' would want for them next (since the newcomers Poppet and Mastodon were not part of their original group, she did not reveal the name of their group openly).

Poppet steps forward and simply says, "I don't know what your objectives are in Cresta, but it sounds like those that want to head to Gangai only want to do so in order to unload goods."

Roth sits with a hand on his chin, staring hard at Poppet and Mastodon to determine their character, and how much they should be allowed to know. When he seems to come to a decision, he stands and tells Poppet and Mastodon their mission, why the group was formed, and the Pathfinders Society members that were to be their contacts in Cresta.

He finishes with a hope for their trust and secrecy, saying, "This is what we're about."

Poppet speaks up, saying, "I know of the Pathfinders, and a few of their members. I am willing to go with you now that I know what your full plans are."

Myne looks at Poppet in amazement and says, "You know the Pathfinders?"

Poppet smiles and says, "Indeed. I've been knowledgeable of their organization for quite some time."

Lo steps forward and says, "After looking at the map and the distance to Gangai, I think we should head for Cresta, Gangai is a time sink that we can't afford. I know Tarian strongly wants to go to Gangai to offload his pack and make some new contacts, but we need to put our main objective first. We don't know what will happen in Cresta either, we may be able to head to Gangai afterwards."

With his arms crossed, Alex grumbles, "Getting this mission over with would be the highest priority. I can get you people off my back and out of my life."

The group give him a hurt look, but let it go, preferring to not be confrontational with the sullen paladin.

Mastodon is unsure of how to cast his vote since he was relying on Tarian to lead, but since the group's votes seemed to be swaying to Cresta, he says, "It might be good to make new contacts in Cresta, I could travel with you."

Alex looks at Roth and says, "Decide our fate."

Myne stands up with some hesitation, making occasional glances at Alex as she says, "I-I just want to remind the group that this is bigger than us. We have been through many hardships together, but it is beyond any one of us. Something is building, some horrible evil, people are dying, and we are the only ones that seem to be in its way by aiding the Pathfinders." Her eyes begin to well with tears as she continues, "W-we have lost people we love, think of Bo and Sara. But all that has been lost could be in vain if we don't take action."

Roth nods, and says, "You're right Myne. This is bigger than us and we need to consider haste as well. Cresta it is!"

They huddle around the maps and begin to plot out their route to Cresta. Roth knows that to the south of Cresta there is a region through the mountain range that is less daunting than the rest.

He points to their current location, and draws a line with his finger almost straight north until he reaches the mountain range, saying "To get to the pass, there is 100 miles of desert to traverse."

Then his finger curves northeast, following the line of the mountains, saying, "Another 75 miles following the mountain range where the terrain is a little more forgiving."

Then his finger makes a line through the mountains to Cresta, saying, "Another 50 miles through the mountain range, following a dry river bed."

He sighs, saying, "It will be about four days' travel through the heart of the desert, another three in the foothills, and another two or three days in the mountains, depending on the weather. I am most worried about the desert, our horses are not made to endure that kind of weather, and it will be tough on us as well."

Myne looks at Poppet, and begins to discuss spell strategy: Endure Elements on the seven horses and Rauros, Create Water to sustain their water supply, and rations to get them through the desert, supplementing their food with hunting when available.

With their confidence high that they would make it to Cresta with only minor difficulties, Roth says, "I assume we need to make preparations. When should we leave?"

Myne speaks up and says, "As soon as possible."

Roth nods and says, "Could we be ready by tonight?"

The group agrees, and they split up to make their own preparations, pack, gather rations, and for the spellcasters, rest and prepare spells.


	27. Surviving Elements: 4th-13th of Abadius

**4th-7th of Abadius:** **Desert Travel and Strange Meetings**

The night arrives, and the group heads off into the desert, making their way north with confidence. Poppet and Myne cast Endure Elements on the horses, and the weather seems to aid the travelers with dissipating winds and dry heat that gives them little trouble. Over the next three days of travel, the most interesting things that happen to them include seeing a herd of wild horses, and the enjoyment of a cold wind that blows in from the north, bending the brushy vegetation. On the third morning they find dew on the vegetation, and there is enough dry grass for the horses to graze on, becoming much more common and much less dry.

By mid-afternoon, Lo becomes aware that they have crossed into the Tactaochan territory, home to the centaurs. Almost on queue the group sees three large figures galloping through the tall grass towards them. Three male centaurs approach: one is an elderly centaur, beard and mane of grey and white, his body tattooed with various animal depictions. He wears a heavy mitt on his left arm, upon which rests a large eagle. Riding between the other two is a middle-aged centaur whose head is shaved, with deep green eyes and carrying a spear. The last is a young centaur whose long blonde hair flows from his head and mane. His blue eyes mirror the sky.

Tarian and Lo know that the centaurs are a tribal race that value the gifts that the land provides. A civil war between the clans recently ended, with a new king responsible for the territory and its peace. They also know that they are not fond of outsiders since they were pushed off their native lands. Mastodon notices that they are not threatening at the moment because of the way in which they carry their weapons at their sides. Roth puts his bow in his hand, but does not nock an arrow. He dismounts, and waits for the centaurs to approach.

The centaur whose head is shaved leads the way and addresses the group, "You seven of the north, for what reason do you travel across our lands?"

Roth responds, "We are merely passing through your lands, heading north to Cresta. We intend you no harm, we are just travelers."

The centaur responds with, "You travel well-armed, for being just travelers."

Roth does not lose his cool and responds with, "We have encountered many challenges, and our arms have saved our lives."

The centaur points his spear at Roth and raises his voice, "Do not lie about your intentions-"

Alex interrupts with, "Do not threaten us!"

The old centaur speaks, and raises his arm with the eagle on it, "Hihte has flown back to us, and has seen your armies march across the lands. Keep your conflict out of our territories."

Tarian responds with a confused and concerned question, "What armies are you talking about? We do not know what you speak of."

The old centaur says, "They wave banners with a sword and shield."

Alex knows the banner too well and shouts out, "Dogs of Isidore!"

Roth says, "This is news to us, and we are very concerned about their presence. Do you have any other information you can give us about the army?"

The elder says, "Their numbers were large…"

Roth says rather more abruptly and abrasively than he meant to, given the alarm of the Isidorian army on the move, "We mean you no harm, we just wish to pass!"

The bald-headed centaur glares at the group until the youngest of the three speaks, addressing the one with the shaved head, "Kanuna, allow me to escort them to the edge of the plains. I will see they do not venture from the path."

Kanuna thinks on this, and turns to the elderly one.

He too ponders the idea, and then speaks, "You are of age to choose your own path, very well, travel two moons till you reach the foot of the mountains. You wish to aid them, an honorable gesture, but do not trust those from the north. They have lost their way."

He bows his head and says, "Sawae Takoda, son of Hesutu."

The other does the same, and they begin to turn to leave. Myne responds with a worry in her voice, "The army means danger, we are not with them, but stay far away from them."

The elder says, "Thank you druid, we know to not trust those that wear armor on their backs."

Alex takes it personally but holds himself back as the two centaurs ride off to the south.

 **7th-9th of Abadius: Foothills to Pass**

Takoda turns to the party and says, "I am sorry for my uncle's behavior, the bite from the past still ails him. It is best if we continue your journey with haste and hope we do not run into any other scouting parties."

Roth replies with, "We appreciate your willingness to ride with us."

He reins in his horse to ride next to Takoda and engages the centaur in polite conversation as they continue north. Alex rides behind the centaur with his hand on the hilt of his undrawn sword, uneasy about the centaur's presence and intentions. At first the conversation is about the centaur, that he is Takoda, youngest son of Hesutu of the Central Forest. His father lost his life in the clan wars, and he has been under the care of his uncle. He then becomes curious about the northerners, and asks questions about life in the north, like how cities are built in mountains, how they keep creatures as slaves to do work for them, etc. Roth does his best to diplomatically answer the questions, but being an elf he takes a slightly different approach, talking about the forest and the culture of conscious connection to that world.

Takoda marvels, and says, "You are much less obtrusive than other races."

Lo decides to take advantage of the centaur's naivety and says, "Alex here is a planar creature."

Takoda gives Lo a funny look and says, "Planar?"

Lo nods and says, "From the abyss."

Takoda looks confused and says, "This abyss, I am not familiar with it."

Myne rolls her eyes at the joke being played on the centaur.

Takoda hesitantly glances at the sullen Alex and says, "I will keep my distance…"

When the group decides to make camp for the night, Takoda rides off for a while, coming back with a wild hare on the end of his spear.

Roth is impressed with his skill as he watches the centaur sit, placing the hare on the ground, and prays, "Sarun, great Warden of the Wilds, thank you for the bounty of this hunt. I shall honor it and you."

He then begins to skin the hare and prepares it to share with the group that wants it. It brings up the discussion of available food in the foothills and mountains, and Roth is confident that the area will provide plenty for them to hunt.

The next morning brings much cooler air. In the cold, Tarian brews some coffee to warm up, and Takoda is curious about it. Tarian offers the coffee for him to try, and he takes it graciously. They head out, and the thick fog covering the tall grassy plain does not rise until mid-morning. In the afternoon they pass ruins that Tarian and Lo recognize as being for centaurs from before the conquest by the Easterners. The ruin is a shrine to the ancient goddess Desna. In the center of the shrine is a statue of what looks like a female elf, but on her back are two butterfly wings. One wing is partially broken off, and the rest shows a good amount of wear. Desna is a goddess often described as a beautiful elven woman, with butterfly wings containing all the beauty of a clear night sky. She is depicted with dark hair, silvery eyes, and a coy but distant smile, wearing diaphanous gowns and sometimes accompanied by swarms of butterflies. Takoda stops briefly at the shrine, saying some words in his own language and then catches up with them.

When they stop to make camp again, they see that the grass around them is not as dry, and there are trees here and there. Takoda hunts again, and brings back a pheasant, and Roth acknowledges the young centaur's hunting talent. In the morning, Takoda declares that he can go no further, but before departing he asks Tarian if he can make an exchange for some of his coffee. Tarian obliges, but asks for nothing in return. The young centaur thanks him, and says a prayer to wish the group safe passage through the mountains before turning and heading south.

 **10th-13th of Abadius:** **Mountain Trekking & Cresta's Rooftops**

 _ **Cold and Lifeless Pass**_

The group travels towards the mountains, and by the end of the day they finally reach the foothills of the mountains, and see the pass ahead. They call it a night, and spurred by Takoda's successful hunts Roth and Tarian decide to go out to hunt for the night. When Myne sees the two men leave for the hunt, she decides to head out as well with the hope of finding some herbs. A couple hours later Tarian and Roth return carrying a boar to roast, happy with their hunt, and more confident about their prospects once in the mountains. When Myne returns past dark and a couple hours later than Roth and Tarian, she storms into the camp frustrated, tired, and dirty.

Poppet looks up from where she was seated by the fire and asks, "Where the hell have you been?!"

Myne pulls a bramble out of her hair, tosses a nearly empty herb pouch on the ground near the fire, and says with exasperation, "I only managed to find a small mushroom and some lichen, and in return got caught in a bramble patch and lost my way."

Poppet eagerly looks through the pouch and says with some enthusiasm, "I could use some of these. I make potions, and the herbs are needed in most of my concoctions."

Myne seems happy that she no longer needs to try to find a buyer for her herbs, and given the small amount of money she had made on the venture it was nice to find someone that valued the effort.

The next day, they travel north through the snow covered valley with peaks of white capped mountains to either side. They follow the flow of the icy water; where the water is exposed to the elements it is rough, and in areas of calm the water is a sheet of ice, clear as glass. The cold is jolting to Poppet, who has never experienced this kind of cold, and Roth offers her his cloak. During the three day trek there is a peaceful calm to the mountains: the weather remains still with little winds, the skies are clear of clouds allowing the sun to glimmer off the white snow, and to the group's disappointment there is very little fauna to be seen. Roth and Myne occasionally pick out the tracks of rabbits, a mountain lion, an opossum, and squirrels, but for the most part the snow is undisturbed. Given the warning about the army, the quiet worries Myne, so she transforms into an eagle to get a better view of the surrounding area, hoping to catch a glimpse of the army to know its direction and possibly its destination. She soars around the area, but does not locate the army, much to her disappointment. When she relays this to the group, Tarian discerns that the Isidorians are logically taking the Ogromen Road north. Myne decides it is worth letting the Pathfinders in Ano Liosia know of this, hoping that the leaders of the Anian and Solarian armies will be able to use the information most effectively.

She finds a sparrow to send the following message:

 _Isidorian troops assumed to be marching north on Ogromen Road. Last seen marching north from Tactaochan._

She then places the Pathfinder seal on the parchment and sends the sparrow off.

The fourth day of travel begins as a brisk one: a cold wind blows down from the north bringing with it some flurries of snow. The group puts up their heavy winter hoods, and those from a more arid environment are especially chilly. This is the tenth day since they set out from the Temple of Pharasma, and they anticipate reaching Cresta before the end of the day. The newly powdered road has seen only the group's footsteps since the path before them is untouched. They reach a ridge and are able to look out and down into a valley. In the space where they expected to see the village of Cresta, there is a thick column of black smoke rising above the tree line. The group feels a sense of dread as they calculate that they are about five miles out from the town, and they are sure that the presence of the smoke does not bode well.

 _ **Smoke, Flames, and Roses**_

Myne volunteers to scout ahead, and changes into an eagle to soar over the rooftops. She sees smoke pouring out of homes, but she does not see any army. She sees people running or fleeing from figures in black that are attacking them. She makes a quick count of the assailants: about a dozen. She also sees a familiar figure dressed all in violet and a big hat with a pouf on the end: The Violet Minstrel is there aiding the villagers. Seeing all she needs to see, she flies back to the group and relays the information, urging them to rush to their aid.

When they reach the village they see flames engulfing several homes, and in the road several villagers lay slain, as if they were trying to flee. They find the Violet Minstrel, William, sitting against the side of a building, looking around the corner into town, a crossbow at the ready. His hair is matted under his disheveled and sad-looking hat, and his tunic is soaked with blood from a gash. When he sees the group approaching, he tries to stand, and nearly falls as the coloring drains from his face.

He says, "You guys! You have perfect timing!" as he sways on the spot a little.

Poppet casts Cure Light Wounds on him, and the color returns to his features as the gash magically heals itself.

With his strength returned, he speaks with more clarity, "I will explain more when we are safe, but we made an error in judgement, and we were followed here. I lost track of Cygar, he might still be at our headquarters in town here to the northeast. Locate him, and I'll take care of a few of the men in black. I'll make sure you're not followed."

They all turn as they hear screams from various parts of the town, and they know that there may be villagers trapped in the burning buildings as well as contending with the large black-robed figures that begin to appear in town. Looking down the road into town, they see a figure with two swords, a dark elf with a sword, and an archer as Mastodon steps forward to be in the lead down the road.

Poppet casts Evil Eye on the archer, and as the double-sword figure rushes forward to attack Mastodon, he shouts, "Somebody needs a hug!" and hits him hard.

Myne commands Rauros to stay with Poppet as she turns into a mountain lion and tries to jump onto the rooftop, but loses her footing on a crate and falls. The archer lets loose an arrow but it goes so wildly off course that it hits the dark elf instead. Mastodon rages, and with one swing snaps one of the huge figure's swords in half and with the second swing takes his head off.

Roth looks on in awe and says, "Have I told you lately that I love you?!"

Despite his dismal state, at the sound of villagers crying out for help in a burning building to his left, Alex immediately makes his way to it to find an entrance, but has to block a blow from the double-sworded enemy as he rushes past him. Tarian follows Myne's lead and gets up onto the roof of the building, stealthing so that he is not spotted. He sees two more enemies across a small canal to the north and ahead of them. The dark elf that swung at Alex tries to take another swing but misses again. Roth fires a sleep arrow at the archer but misses, then pulls two regular arrows and hits with one of them. Lo finds a good hiding spot down an alley to hide and begins to sing Inspire Courage.

Poppet casts Misfortune on the archer, and Myne finally makes it to the roof. She too sees the new enemies across the canal in front of her and to the right, and tries to jump the canal to her right to reach another enemy and a burning building. She misjudges the distance and splashes in the water, alerting the enemies to her presence. The archer is alerted to the witch and finds the bear standing next to her as a target and hits. Mastodon rushes towards the dark elf that is attacking Alex and delivers an overhead blow that makes the enemy's knees buckle. He falls to the ground dead. With the dark elf dispatched, Alex finds his way to the entrance of the burning building. Tarian watched Myne splash into the water, and saw the enemies alerted to her presence, so he moves forward on the rooftop and fires a shot at one of the new archers with his crossbow. The new archer sees the fact that a large barbarian has just taken down two of his comrades with single blows each, and tries to fire a shot at Mastodon, but in his fear he misses. Roth fires a sleep arrow at the first archer and puts him to sleep, he then uses two regular arrows to try to permanently dispatch him, and hits with one arrow. Lo sees the sleeping archer and grins as he summons a giant frog.

After the two enemies in the way of the canal bridge are dispatched, Poppet sees a way to get across the canal and reach another burning building. She rushes forward and moves to the left with Rauros right behind her. Across the canal to the northwest, a third archer finds a weak spot in Mastodon's armor and delivers a damaging arrow in between his shoulder and chest. Myne bull-rushes the second archer, but her soaking wet paws slip on the flagstones and misses. Mastodon makes a running jump across the canal to attack the archer that Myne missed and pushes the archer back as he lands. Alex finds an overturned wagon blocking the entrance to the house, and he hears the screams of what sounds like a male, female, and small child. With all the strength he can muster, he manages to push the wagon out of the way. The second archer that was losing blood from Tarian's shot collapses, and Tarian takes aim at the third archer across the canal and hits him for massive damage. Roth moves to the canal bridge and fires a sleep arrow at another enemy in an alley to the north, and puts her to sleep. Lo commands his giant frog to pick up the first sleeping archer in its mouth.

Poppet yells outside the burning building, calling for anyone, but hears nothing. She goes inside despite no answer, and finds a young man unconscious and wounded. Part of the house has collapsed on him, and it is on fire. She uses a Rush of Wind to put out the fire. She then looks to Rauros for his strength, and the bear uses his massive paws to push aside the beam that was pinning the young man down. With the archer neatly taken care of by Mastodon, Myne makes her way to another burning building. She sees that the entrance has collapsed and is on fire, but passable with a leap. She hears the voice of an elderly man, and jumps through the flames, taking damage from the heat. She finds the elderly man clutching at his chest and gasping for air. Mastodon follows Myne into the building, and sees her with the old man. He deftly picks him up, and prepares to make a run for it. Alex rushes into another the burning building, following the sounds of crying and finds a female elf, male human, and their young child huddled together against a wall in a back room. Most of the conventional exits were blocked or on fire, so Alex finds a weak wall and breaks through, pulling the family out into the back alley, and landing neatly where Lo was chanting. Tarian takes aim at the third archer again and finishes him off with a crossbow bolt. Lo commands his giant frog to pull the first archer into the burning building to finish him off.

Poppet uses Levitate to make the unconscious man a bit more maneuverable and pushes him out of the building with Rauros following happily behind. Myne puts her muzzle on the old man and casts Endure Elements and jumps out of the building followed closely behind by Mastodon, who sets the old man down and checks him over. He looks like he has some smoke inhalation, and he's wheezy, but should be ok. Once he knows that, he takes the time to remove the arrow stuck in his chest, breathing a little easier once it is pulled. They are all put on guard when they see three figures appear from an alley to the northeast (in the direction of the Pathfinders headquarters): the most noticeable is the short-statured figure wearing a mask with roses, and this person is flanked by two heavily-armed burly figures in cloaks.

The rose-masked figure speaks with a female voice, "You lot are in my way! Remove yourselves from my path!" and draws a size-appropriate rapier.

She shouts, "I will cut you down!"

Roth is standing closest to them, and does not answer, but gives them a grim and determined look. Alex hears the shouts and begins to rush towards the canal bridge to meet the enemies. Tarian sneaks down off the rooftop, and takes a shot at one of the burly figures holding an axe, and hits with a crossbow bolt. Roth takes a step back and fires a sleep arrow at the tiny figure but misses; his next shot with a regular arrow hits. Lo moves out of the alley towards the canal with Alex.

Poppet puts the injured man down safely in an alleyway, and checks him over. He has a broken leg, but he looks like he will survive. The rose-masked figure leaps forward and stabs Roth with her rapier, and the burly man carrying a spear leaps across the canal to engage Myne, slashing with his spear when he lands. Myne in turn lays into the man with her claws. Mastodon engages the man as well, hitting hard twice. The axe-wielding man also goes for Roth, hitting him as well. Alex puts on speed to get to the front of the fight that Roth is currently taking the brunt of, Tarian takes up a hiding spot behind some barrels next to the canal and hits the axe-wielder again with an arrow. Roth fires a sleep arrow at the rose-masked person again but misses, his next regular arrow finds its mark. Lo moves further forward and tries to get a good look at the tiny figure, and sees that she is a Swashbuckler/Duelist.

Poppet commands Rauros to go engage the enemies next to Alex and Roth and then flies onto the rooftop over the Pathfinder headquarters. When she lands, she notices a body lying motionless in the courtyard behind the house, and her heart drops at the thought that it might be Cygar. She turns back to the fight, knowing that he wouldn't be going anywhere. The rose-masked figure moves up to hit Roth again and with a hard swipe Roth falls unconscious from the blows. The figure smiles from under her mask, and looks for a new target. The spear-wielding bruiser hits Myne hard, and she casts Stabilize on Roth when she sees him fall from across the canal, screaming his name as she casts. Rauros meanwhile rushes forward in front on Roth's fallen body to block the path forward between him and Alex. Mastodon takes another heavy whack at the spear-wielding bruiser, and is surprised to see that the man has not succumb to his attacks yet. The axe-wielder swings and hits Alex, and Alex takes a Double Attack at the rose-masked enemy, but on the swings she deftly blocks and parries, not allowing a window. Tarian sneaks across the water, but misses his crossbow shot at the axe-wielder. Lo summons another giant frog that he commands to grab Roth and pull him away from the battle.

Poppet casts Evil Eye on the rose-masked enemy and Cackles. The rose-masked enemy in turn attacks Alex with another brutally precise stab. The spear-wielding enemy hits Myne while both Myne and Rauros miss their attacks. Mastodon takes another huge lunge and swing at the spear-wielding enemy and finally drops him to the ground. He rushes forward towards the rose-masked enemy and lets out a feral shout that intimidates her. The axe-wielding enemy takes another shot at Alex, who has taken the brunt of the duo's attacks since Roth was taken down. Alex does a valiant Double Attack to the axe-wielding enemy, and both find their mark. Tarian sneaks up behind the fight and hits the axe-wielder with a well-aimed crossbow bolt. Lo casts Blind on the rose-masked enemy but it misses, and commands his frog to swim across the canal and spit Roth out on the shore at his feet.

Poppet casts Misfortune on the rose-masked enemy and Cackles while she takes another devastating stab at Alex that brings the paladin down. She laughs again at the fall of one of their comrades and gives a flourish of her rapier. Myne casts Stabilize on Alex and then in anger at her fallen friends rushes forward to bite the rose-masked enemy. Mastodon also rushes the two remaining enemies and hits the axe-wielder hard with two swings of his longsword. Tarian sneaks and hits the same target with a stab in the back, and it brings him down. Lo sends the frog back across the canal to collect Alex and remove him from the fight. He then tries to cast Blind on the rose-masked enemy and this time it works. With her running blind, Poppet casts Slumber, which puts the rose-masked enemy to sleep, and in slow-motion silence she falls forward where she was standing.

The group breathe heavily from the fight, and Tarian steps forward to quickly manacle the masked enemy while Mastodon takes her weapons. In his hands, her rapier looks like nothing more than a toothpick. They also remove her mask, which reveals the face of a halfling. Tarian searches the bodies and finds a Headband of Vast Intelligence, which Poppet takes, a Rapier of Dueling, and Masterwork Studded Leather. Myne uses cure spells to bring Roth and Alex back to consciousness, and Alex tries to cast Lay on Hands on himself, and sighs when nothing happens.

As the group works, Poppet shouts down from the roof, "Um, there is a body in the courtyard…."

After Myne quickly sets the broken leg of the villager, Mastodon picks up the masked enemy and they all move into the courtyard where the Pathfinder headquarters was located.

They rush over to the body, and are distressed to see that it is the body of Cygar. Alex and Myne both determine that he is gone, and the group crumples from the knowledge. The Violet Minstrel comes around the corner looking ragged but satisfied that they had pushed back the enemies until he spots the body of Cygar.

Myne drops to her knees next to Cygar and whispers, "No, he can't die. He can't be dead!"

She starts to pray to Gozreh, and she hears a whisper on the wind, and feels her body fill with divine energy.

She reaches out to touch Cygar's body and says, "Bring Cygar back!"

A glow fills his body, encompassing him in light so that he could not be seen. The light then dissipates, and lying on the ground in Cygar's body is a lizardfolk man, unconscious, not dead. Myne gasps as she realizes that her Reincarnate spell had worked, transferring the being that was Cygar into a new body. She casts a Cure Moderate Wounds spell on him to bring him out of unconsciousness. He groggily sits up, not sure he should be where he thinks he is, and looks into Myne's tear-stained face.

She hesitantly says, "You're back...but I'm sorry. This was my first time...bringing someone back from death..."

In response, he seems to notice that his body is not his own, and it takes him a bit to adjust to the snout and tail that he now has. He says, "Am I in hell?"

He looks over, sees The Violet Minstrel, and says, "William, you made it through! I'm assuming our foes are vanquished?"

Poppet speaks up and says, "We caught one..." and points to the sleeping rose-masked figure.

Cygar says, "We should interrogate her, but we need to make haste! We must ride north to Solaris!"

Mastodon says, "Interrogation takes time, should we just do away with her?"

Cygar says, "No, we need her."

Poppet says, "There are villagers that need aid here."

Cygar says, "Take care of them quickly, we must leave immediately, William and I will ride with you, there is more to be done! We will take our captured enemy with us."

They hand Cygar a piece of parchment found on the enemy, and it seems to be a translation of the original work from Milon Yestare, translated by Kyus Malethdar.

 _Before Records, Before Time:_

 _In the beginning there was only darkness, an eternity of nothing but a dark void, devoid of light, sound, and warmth. No mortal knows how long this time lasted, but it did not last forever. Out of the void came powerful elemental visitors, some say crossing from a higher plane of existence. These grand beings came and filled the void with the elements, crashing together at times in violent storms and within the void came the worlds and stars of the heavens. After eons of chaos and churning skies and seas the elemental beings grew tired and would rest after seeing their creation completed, but before they fell into slumber they with the last of their raw energy form the successors that would watch over this new realm. Those beings were Eden and Abaddon._

 _The elementals bestowed upon the two the power to create and to destroy, each given one of these powers. To Eden the power of creation, to Abaddon the power of destruction, as no one being should be given absolute power, they were split between them. Eden devoted her time to filling the newly created worlds with a vast array of life, making each realm unique. Chaos balanced the ever growing populations by limited the time in which life could stay in this realm of existence, and for many ages this balance stayed in effect. Before long some of the creatures Eden had created grew into intelligent beings, becoming self-aware and acknowledging their existence because of Eden, and they loved her, and worshiped to her. An emotion of love was something Eden had never experienced before though she had created such an emotion, she had never been loved herself. This grew on her and she came to love her creations back. Abaddon saw how these creations came to love Eden, and Eden's love in return, and became jealous. He, with his power of destruction, broke the planar boundaries and summoned forth an army of demons, devils and other vile beings which he sent forth to destroy the creations of Eden. Countering Abaddon's attack, Eden created mighty warriors, each with their own strengths, and set them forth, this has come to be known as the War of Gods._

 _The war lasted for tens of thousands of years by our interpretation of time. In the end, Eden and Abaddon faced off, each standing with their strongest of warriors. Standing upon the realm of Golarion, the two parties clashed in a fearsome battle. Eden, being a creature of creation, could no longer bear to see her children suffer, and with her full strength sacrificed much of her power in sealing Abaddon and his generals away… for all time. Severely weakened, Eden granted each of her remaining warriors with the powers to watch over her creations here on Golarion, and with that Eden too passed into a deep slumber. The warriors of Eden became the greater deities we know today, and life on Golarion prospered and flowed through time and space unhindered._

 _The following millennia saw the rise of grand civilizations beginning with the serpentfolk who rose to power long before man. They would dominate the lands of southern Golarion and the continent of Arcadia, and would become the First Astra Era._

 _The first human civilization to make its mark upon Golarion was the powerfully magical and technological people of Azlant. For thousands of years Azlant was unmatched in power. However, other countries would rise: Thassilon rose, founded by exiles from Azlant and ruled by powerful wizard kings known as Runelords. During a time where Azlant was unmatched in power, many of their resources were devoted to the study of magic and the natural world. They searched the globe for the unique and strange, dug deep, looking for mysteries. For the Azlanti they were at the height of their power, but all this would suddenly come crashing down._

 _In the age of Azlant there were two moons that graced the sky. One being the moon we still see in the night sky to this day. The other a great crystalline sphere that brought a shimmering brilliance to the world below, called the Starstone. The Azlanti discovered it was from the Starstone that the power of magic came. Its radiance filled the world with the gift of magic._

 _What the Azlanti did not know, and that I now offer my expertise on, is that the Starstone was, in fact, the slumbering Eden, her form after sacrificing herself to seal Abaddon away. It is to Eden that the gods are granted their power and that magic may filter into our world._

 _As time went on, Azlant grew more powerful, and they became swept over by arrogance and pride. Some say it was the gods' doing, others say it was powerful magic brought upon by an ancient civilization that raised the Azlanti out of barbarism, but 11,000 years ago the civilizations of Azlant and Thassilon would be extinguished by the Starstone._

 _Known as Earthfall, the Starstone tumbled to Golarion, shattering the continent of Azlant into fragmented islands. This event kicked off a thousand years of darkness. Around the Inner Sea the majority of elves that once inhabited Golarion departed via the Sovyrian Stone, or retreated to the far north, the jungles or the Darklands. As the Darklands became home to the fleeing races and creatures, the dwarves, united under the new king Taargick, decided to abandon their subterranean homes and would emerge for the first time upon the surface of Golarion. Driven out by righteous dwarves heading for the surface, orcs too would emerge onto the surface of the world._

 _As the age of Darkness came to an end almost 10,000 years ago, humanity and the remaining peoples of Golarion began to rebuild. Nordost, particularly the mainland of Stora is inhabited by the centaur tribal peoples. They rule from the Etusia Ocean to the coasts of the Mariposyan Sea, the Oneindige Mountains serve as a natural barrier keeping the tribal people separated from the nomadic gnomes who were driven from the wilds of the fey, and now travel the lands to the east of the Oneindige all the way to the Nucifera and Niaci Seas. Throughout these lands the lizardfolk live quietly in the swamps and marshes of both the mainland of Stora, and are the only intelligent creature to inhabit the island of Andra._

 _This next age saw the expansion of the Inner Sea, with new and powerful civilizations built upon the ruins of the old. These ancients founded mighty pyramids, and the aeromancers who would establish their now-legendary flying cities. However as soon as humanity tasted power once again, fate sent a new destruction to Golarion: dragons. Some say they followed the dwarves and orcs out of the depths of Golarion, and others say the powerful magic of the sorcerer kings gave birth to them. Whatever the case, once they were released, they spread across the Inner Sea, even to Nordost where they appeared roughly 7000 years ago. Dragons were not the only creatures to come out of the depths during this time: the Spawn of Rovagug, the Tarrasque, caused the flying city of Kho to come crashing down into the Barrier Wall Mountains. This age of dragons lasted almost two millennia, with the second millennia seeing the slow disappearance of the dragons._

 _As the dragons vanished, a spectacular event happened: Aroden, the last of the pure-blooded Azlanti, raised the Starstone from the depths of the sea and became a living god. The Inner Sea would found Absalom, and the stone now rests in the largest cathedral of the Ascendant Court where anyone can take the Test of the Starstone in order to attempt ascension to godhood. So far, only three mortals are known to have succeeded in the task: Cayden Cailean, Iomedae, and Norgorber. Some say the Starstone contains the last essence of Eden, and her essence is why those who complete the trial become gods. Nevertheless, the Inner Sea found its strength again, and for the next 4000 years would expand its barriers and strengthen like never before. Nations like Cheliax, whose leaders are of the House Thrune, rose to power due to aid of devilry. Other nations rose when they found powerful technologies amongst the ruins of ancient civilizations._

 _Milon Aldavar Yestare_

 _2nd Astra Era_

Cygar furrows his brow, sighing as he eyes the writing and says, "I have to study this on the road."


	28. Surviving Elements: 13th-20th of Abadius

**13th-20th of Abadius: Sprint to Avalon**

 _ **Information Given**_

With haste the group, along with their diminutive enemy, Cygar and The Violet Minstrel journey north along the Wayside Pass.

As they ride out, William says, "We have associates that have been monitoring The Organization as you made your way to the desert to retrieve the crystal. We found it odd that they began pursuit of you, but as you were leaving the mountains of Reynes they stopped tracking you."

Myne says, "Yes, we thought it was odd as well, we were expecting an ambush."

William nods and says, "Yes, Bethara expected the same when she made for the crystal in the north with no opposition. It seems that there has been a shift of interest, and what was once thought to be of utmost importance is no longer of interest at all. Our contact Felstadt made a joint effort to find out what happened, and they managed to track down an Organization member and made him squeal. They said that they no longer needed such insignificant items, and simply said that after their next mission, their work would be complete. We had to wonder, what would they be going after now? They must be going big, and we had to wonder what they found. We heard word that Isidorian troops were marching north past Ani, and we knew they were going for Avalon."

Alex asks, "What begat the king and queen of Ani?"

William says, "They are currently safe in Ano Liosia. We sent word to Avalon to ready...we're not sure if their magical force could make an impact on their forces."

They journey through the mountain road north, and they fill in Poppet and Mastodon as best they can on what their adventures have encompassed since their tiny 'coming of age' ceremony in Kassen two and a half months ago.

 _ **Information Taken**_

For three days the weather is favorable as they pass through the village of Mendiak and fork right onto the Rainbow Pass. At the pass, they decide to rest the horses and interrogate their rose-masked prisoner. Lo and Mastodon volunteer to do the interrogation, and before they approach her they discuss their tactic for breaking her while those interested in watching get a good seat: Alex and Tarian stand with their arms folded, and Poppet seats herself cross-legged, clearly full of anticipation. Myne meanwhile walks away, not sure if her stomach can take what Lo and Mastodon might be planning, and Roth follows her. Despite their past hostility, Lo and Mastodon seem eager to put their heads together for the interrogation, and decide on a bruiser-good-guy approach, with Mastodon doing the threatening and knuckle cracking while Lo tries to use diplomacy to 'help her avoid injury.' They wake up the rose-masked figure, whom they had been keeping under a Sleep spell to avoid dealing with her until they were ready.

Mastodon picks her up like a child and seats her on a tree stump, and staring her down says, "Tell us what we need to know."

Lo chimes in as he gestures towards Mastodon, "Cooperating is your best option, just giving you a heads-up on that one."

She grins and says, "You will get nothing from me!" and spits at Lo's face.

Poppet quietly casts Misfortune on the small figure as Mastodon bears down on her, picks her up and slams her body onto the forest floor. It knocks the wind out of her, and she gasps for air.

Lo stands over the top of her recalling the devastation they left behind and says with emotion, "Why did you have to destroy Cresta?"

She gives a couple weak breaths, seeming to give in to Mastodon's crushing blow, and says, "The Pathfinders were impeding our mission."

Mastodon quickly cuts in with, "What mission?"

She says, "Master Kyus, his mission is to find crystals for the cause."

Mastodon pushes her into the dirt further and says, "What cause?"

She gives a dreamy smile and says, "The resurrection of the God of Our World, Abaddon."

Poppet, no longer able to contain her anticipation and desire for the knowledge says, "Where are the armies heading?"

In response, the halfling says with some triumph, "Master Kyus will get what he wants and there is nothing you can do to stop us!"

Lo steps in and says, "What is your intention concerning Abaddon and the crystals?"

She says, "It is what we need for the resurrection."

Lo follows with, "Where is Master Kyus?"

The halfling says, "He will be leading the army himself. Kyus would not lie to us, he would save us. He saved me from a cold empty hilltop. He is a true savior banished long ago."

Lo says, "Are your five comrades in the army?"

The halfling gives Lo a penetrating look when she says, "You have already taken one, but they may be there."

Tarian speaks up and says, "Do the black crystals play a role?"

She looks confused by the question and says, "That is not part of my mission, I don't know."

Holding up the translated text, Tarian asks, "Who is Milon Yestare?"

She says, "The one who wrote the original scripts, translated by our Master."

Lo says, "Why should we keep you alive?"

She holds herself as proudly as she can as she says, "I am one of the few that are not living a lie."

Lo looks at her with some scrutiny and says, "Who are you?"

"Armorette Aquarius."

Tarian goes back to the transcript and says, "I'm not sure how plunging the world into darkness is a good thing."

Armorette excitedly says, "Can't you see?!"

Mastodon cuts in with, "I don't see how burning a village to the ground is saving us."

Armorette hesitates and says, "Blood must be spilt..."

Tarian asks, "What will Abaddon do?"

Armorette says, "He shall bring magic back, the gods will come back. All that has been corrupted and destroyed will be rebuilt under Abaddon. It is Eden that has destroyed all!"

Alex crosses his arms, spits at the ground in her direction and says, "Nice… but the gods aren't real."

Armorette in turn sits in a pouty silence at his insolence.

To bring her out of it, Tarian says, "Who are the other masked members? We know of Tyrion, Zod, Namia, and now you. Who else remains?"

She leans back proudly and names off her comrades, "Asmodius Zod, our black spellcaster, Namia Ellariel the witch, Braum of the Greystone Sentry carries two axes, Tyrion Broodfinder the bowman, Athuzbar uses his fists, and Laralas is heavily-armored."

They feel that there is nothing more to get out of her after this exhaustive interrogation, and decide it best to keep moving on, putting a Sleep spell back on Armorette so she does not cause any trouble.

 _ **The Road Well Traveled**_

On the third day they gallop across the Rainbow Bridge that passes over the river; the grand waterfall here causes colors to arch through the air and over the bridge, giving the bridge its name. In the two days that follow, clouds move in and snow begins to fall. The road becomes a trail of white dust, and the group's formation parts the newly fallen powder. They keep their hoods tied tight, and squint in the cold air as they rush along the path. They turn onto the Trail of the Magi, and notice that the snow upon the road is packed down, as if hundreds recently marched through, and not only footprints by humanoids, but horses, and carts, all leading toward the city of Avalon.

For two days they follow the path taken by hundreds, and know that they must be coming close to the city after a hard ride. Several miles out, they ride up a hilltop coming out of the forest, and look down into the valley that Avalon resides within. They see what they expect but dread to see: smoke, the distant clanging of weapons clashing against each other, and the flags of armies waving in the air. Furthest to the north wave the flags of Isidore, the kingdom in the far-east that still holds control over many eastern territories since the last war. From the south and the west wave the flags of Solaris and of Reynes, the Sun and the Rose fighting side by side against a common foe. From their vantage point it does not seem like Avalon has been taken yet, though several buildings in the city burn; the forces of Isidore have brought siege weapons and trebuchets that hurl projectiles across the lake and into the city of mages. Isidore's forces seem to be much greater than the city of Avalon could ever have been ready to face.

 **20th of Abadius: The Battle For Avalon**

 _ **Tactics & Assault**_

The group looks on with their mouths open for a bit, and then they are brought back to reality by Cygar and William, "They must not take Avalon; we cannot let the forces enter the city. Luckily for Avalon they are in the middle of a lake, their walls are high, and there is only one entrance to the city, and that is across a bridge spanning a lake. Our best move at this point is to remove access to the city by somehow taking out the bridge or blocking it."

Myne raises a tentative hand and says, "I-I think I can take out the bridge by eroding the shoreline, and I can get there quickly if I fly."

The group look at one another and approve the plan.

Cygar says, "With the bridge taken care of, our next objective is to aid the allies, and take down their leaders. More than likely they will be in the thick of it, but they are our highest priority: wade in and take them out. The Isidorian forces may not continue fighting without a leader, or at least it will lower their morale. After that, if we can minimize the damage to the city by taking out the siege weapons, we should try to make our way to those next."

The group hands off a sleeping Amorette to Cygar and William, knowing that the two Pathfinders would ensure her captivity and hand-off to Solarian authorities when they could manage it.

They ride out as fast as they can, and reach the back of the battle relatively quickly. They look out at ground level to a mass of bodies and weapons in a tangled mess. Here and there, trebuchets and catapults are given a wider berth, and through the mass near the bridge Tarian, Myne, and Roth spot a figure cutting down forces of the allies. He is a hulk of a man wielding a sword and shield, cutting men down as they approach him: Lord Blackheart. Tarian points him out, and Alex draws his sword and wades into the battle in rage. Alex's charge signals their action, and Myne turns into an eagle and flies off towards the bridge. Rauros and Mastodon both follow Myne's trail to aid her. Tarian takes an indirect approach and begins to slip through the masses. Poppet giggles and turns into an Advanced Giant Scorpion, and Roth and Lo follow behind, pushing through the crowd.

A rain of arrows comes down on them, and Tarian and Alex get hit with them as they push forward. Around them men fall as they swing their swords. Lo is distracted by one man in front of him, and does not see another coming up from behind, ready to strike him down. As he begins to bring his sword down on Lo, a large, strange-looking cat creature with multiple legs leaps on him, driving him to the ground. Nearby, the familiar face of Bethara is seen cheering triumphantly at Brahm's attack. A flaming sphere comes down on Mastodon, Alex, Rauros, and Lo, hitting them hard. A nearby allied cleric prays to their god and restores health for Mastodon.

Unaware of what her friends are facing, Myne lands silently on the bank of the lake near the bridge's support structures at the end furthest from the city. She stays in eagle form to be able to escape quickly, but immediately casts Obscuring Fog to hide herself. She then casts Soften Earth on the shoreline, and watches as the hard ground turns to soft mud. She flies out from underneath the bridge, and watches as the guard tower begins to sink into the mud. The shifting of the stones causes the whole bridge to destabilize and collapse, and she watches as enemy forces that were on the bridge are tossed off in the collapse.

 _ **Darkness, Light, and Redemption**_

With a lot of fighting, pushing, and pain, the group make their way to the front of the battle, close to the city's bridge gates. They shout with excitement when they see the gate tower and bridge collapse, knowing that somewhere ahead in the magical fog is Myne, her mission complete. In the foreground looms a formidable sight: Lord Blackheart in thorny black plate armor and a cloak of wolf fur, wielding a battle-axe and shield. Flanking him are two figures in black cloaks and masks: one with horns and one in the likeness of a fox; Zod and Namia. All three figures are blocking the path to the bridge, a mass of allied forces lay dead around them, and it seems that no soldiers are willing to engage them in combat any longer. Before Mastodon can continue running towards Myne's fog, Tarian quickly warns Mastodon about Zod's sword as they slowly approach the trio, and as if on cue Zod takes off his mask, revealing the face and horns of a tiefling, and replaces it with a horned helm.

Lord Blackheart laughs as he sees their familiar faces and says, "Well, you're a long way from Kassen. This is the end of your little adventure through the woods."

Namia leans over and whispers something in his ear which Tarian eyes widen as he manages to catch her say, "Remember, Master wishes the rogue-ish elf to remain alive."

When she leans, Poppet notices that there is a small fox curled up around her neck, well-hidden under her cloak and mask. She gasps as she realizes Namia is a witch, and tells Widget to keep his distance, knowing that if her familiar dies, she loses her power. He scampers to stand behind Alex. Once he is safer, Poppet tries an aimed shot at Namia's fox with her stinger, but an allied soldier runs in front of her and she hits him instead.

Alex, his anger welling up inside him says, "You will come to an end. You have disgraced your kingdom and your name!"

He then drinks a Potion of Bull Strength to prepare him for the coming fight. Lord Blackheart sizes up his son, and leaps forward and strikes Alex hard with his battle axe. Roth's hatred and fear of Namia makes his choice of target easy; he lines up a sleep arrow that misses, his second releases a deafening crack that does not deafen her, and a third shot hits as well. Hearing the sound of Roth's bow, and finding Myne safe in the fog flying towards him, Mastodon makes his way back to the fight by following the sonic boom. Namia launches herself into the air, just out of the way of a claw grab from Poppet. Zod comes forward to engage Poppet and they watch as his sword catches on fire and he casts Scorching Ray on her.

Alex shouts at his father again, "You're a disgrace!" and brings down his sword on his father, but it glances off Blackheart's shield, and his second swing misses completely.

Lo tries to cast Slow on Lord Blackheart but misses, and moves into a better position for his next spell. Tarian sneaks up on Zod and tries to take a precise shot at his head, but the crossbow bolt deflects off his helmet. Myne and Rauros sprint in the direction of Roth's bow to try to be free of the fog and join the fight.

Poppet changes out of her scorpion form, shouts to the group that Zod is a magus and Namia is a witch, and to try not to kill her or her familiar. Widget hops on her shoulders and she takes off into the air after Namia.

Lord Blackheart shouts at his son, "You're weak, just like your mother!" and swings his battle-axe hard at his shoulder and then kicks Alex in the groin, making him lose his breath and feel nauseated from the low blow.

Roth fires another sleep arrow at Namia, and the arrow hits but she does not fall asleep. His third shot hits and knocks her mask off, revealing elven features with dark skin and white hair- a drow. It then dawns on him that because of her race, she is immune to the effects of sleep. Mastodon runs out of the fog, sees the group engaged with Zod and Lord Blackheart, and charges Zod with his great sword. Namia sees Poppet follow her into the sky, and tries to cast Deep Slumber on her, but it fails. Zod engages his new target by swinging his sword, and then with his other hand touches Mastodon and casts Life Force Drain. Alex, still woozy from the kick takes a step back holding his crotch and trying to catch his breath. Lo sings a Song of His People, Inspiring Confidence in his allies. Tarian sneaks and fires another bolt at Zod and then drinks an Invisibility Potion. Myne and Rauros emerge from the fog, with Myne still in eagle form. She flies over the top of Zod and Blackheart and casts Flame Strike, with Zod dodging part of the damage and Lord Blackheart taking the full effect of the burning damage. Rauros charges and attacks Zod but misses.

Poppet casts Lip Stitch on Namia, but it doesn't work.

Lord Blackheart shouts, "Prepare yourself!"

Alex shouts back provokingly, "Come on then!"

His battle-axe misses, but Lord Blackheart manages to trip Alex, making him fall backwards onto the ground with a thud. With Namia being a much more difficult target air bound, Roth focuses his attention on Lord Blackheart. He fires one sleep arrow that Blackheart blocks with his shield, but his second shot with another sleep arrow hits, and Lord Blackheart's eyes flutter closed as he hits the dirt. Mastodon's first swing hits Zod hard while his second misses, and Namia's attack on Poppet misses. Zod hits Mastodon with his sword, and with his other hand casts Dark Bolt at Mastodon, hitting him with Gloom Blind Bolts that luckily do not blind Mastodon.

From the ground, Alex sees his father fall, and pulls himself up. He stands over his father, and raises his sword above his head to stab Lord Blackheart in the chest. As he begins to bring his sword down, Alex sees a flash of pure white light and silence envelops him. As the light fades, he finds himself in a temple made of stone with tall glass windows that fills the space with light. A red carpet runs down an aisle lined on either side with pews. At the front of this space is an altar, illuminated by a great circular glass window; the beam of radiance from it shines upon a lone figure facing away from him and kneeling at an altar. The figure stands, and turns around to face Alex. Alex squints in the bright light to look at the figure clad in brilliant armor with a white cloak draped over the shoulders, and a sword with a hilt and handle of polished gold at their side. The figure begins to walk towards Alex, their face unrecognizable in the bright light.

They are tall, and long in their years, and then a voice that he knows so well greets him, "Hello, Alexander," and the figure standing before Alex forms into his grandfather.

"It is good to see you Alex, you have grown strong in such a short amount of time. Though I feel something troubles you, and that you have lost your way."

Alex stares dumbfounded at the presence of his grandfather, knowing too well that he fell in the battle at Elysia.

His grandfather fills the silence with, "Come Alex, walk with me out in the gardens."

He leads Alex out through a pair of doors in the back of the temple, and outside is a beautiful garden full of the fresh aromas of flowers.

He turns to his grandson with a worried expression and says, "What is it that troubles you?"

Still in shock, he manages to swallow hard and say, "Grandfather, how do you stand here? You fell defending the Capital!"

His grandfather looks grim and says, "It was an honorable fight to the end."

Alex shakes his head and says, "How is this possible? Iomedae has left me; I have been abandoned. Why do you stand before me?"

His grandfather nods and says, "Call it a gift from the goddess….and there is some confusion within you: she has not abandoned you, you have turned your back on her. Iomedae may be a goddess, but even she has her limits. It was not she who took these things from you, however if you ask of her the strength to recover that which you have lost, she will answer."

Alex begins to well up with tears at the thought of what he had lost and what he had done to his faith and says, "I-I don't deserve her attention."

His grandfather sees the pain in his voice, and says, "Perhaps you should speak with her on that matter yourself."

They had wandered into a more open area of the garden where tall green hedges create a circular space, and in the center are four pillars. Between them Alex sees a woman clad in silvery plate mail with brown hair that is cut short, and as she looks directly at Alex, he shifts uncomfortably because her gaze is the strongest he had ever witnessed. Alex's grandfather extends his arm, and directs him closer to her. Alex breathes deep, taking shuddering gulps of air as he realizes he is standing before the goddess Iomedae. He gets as close to her as he dares before he becomes overwhelmed by her power; he averts his eyes and drops to his knees.

From above, he hears her speak, "You have forgotten my voice, but I have not forgotten you, Alexander Shieldheart. You were a young man of honor and valor, you fought for those who could not protect themselves...but you let the darkness grab hold of you, and its grip remains firm. The world is in need of you and your comrades, there is evil spreading across Nordost. Become my voice, become my sword, become my shield, and become my servant once again. Through you my power will flow. Do you accept this responsibility?"

Alex cries in earnest, humbled by his goddess's mercy and overwhelming presence and says, "I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I would be your servant if you will have me."

She stands over him, and says, "Then rise Alexander, Sacred Servant of Iomedae. In my name, bring justice to those who would corrupt the world."

Alex stands, breathing deeply at his new found hope and responsibility, and sees his grandfather smiling at him and giving him the salute of Ani. He keeps his eyes on his grandfather as white light overtakes him again. When the light recedes, the sounds and sights of the battlefield rush back at Alex. He feels invigorated and flooded with energy. His father lays unmoving on the ground before him, covered in blood and dirt. Alex stays his still-raised sword, and turns to face Zod, ready to take down the masked enemy.

Beside him, Lo casts Grease on Zod's sword, but he manages to hold onto it. Tarian sneaks behind Zod, and aims a crossbow bolt at his casting arm that hits while Myne and Rauros's strikes both miss. Poppet casts Evil Eye on Namia while Roth fires two arrows at Zod. Mastodon takes a vicious swing at Zod that knocks him unconscious.

When he falls to the ground, Poppet hears Namia scream out, "No! Zod!" and then watches her drop from the sky to land on top of him, covering his body with her own.

She sheds tears and cries out, "You will not hurt him anymore!"

 _ **Red Wings and Ruby Robes**_

As if on cue a huge disruption is felt behind them. They turn to see the entire battlefield engulfed in flame, and they sense a massive evil presence coming down from the sky. Scores of allies and Isidorians are taken by the fire as they see a looming shadow, and in front of them a huge red dragon lands with an earth-shattering crash. All but Myne, Lo, and Poppet are panicked at its presence; dropping their weapons in fear, but even the three are still shaking at the sight. They see movement on the battlefield and when they look closer they see a figure walking through the blaze, wearing robes of ruby with hair that flickers like flames: Saraneth.

She looks at the group with a wicked smile and says, "Hello darlings, I am glad you were able to make it to this party. I see you have already met my lovely new pet Sultadiedarvurtearas. I like to just call him Vurtearas for short. He has been so kind as to help us with our little quest."

The group look up past Saraneth and the flame, and standing up on the dragon's back is a man wearing a hooded robe of pure white with long, golden-blonde hair, penetrating deep blue eyes, and a strong and chiseled face. He looks down at the group with a look of disdain, and then looks at the central tower of Avalon. As if the glance were a command, the dragon lifts its mighty wings; the powerful flapping of its wings causes a torrent of air that feeds the flames more as it lifts itself off the ground.

Sara watches the dragon take off, and then turns back to the group saying, "I wish we could stay longer lovelies, but I am afraid Mr. Malethdar is all business. But before I do go, you have something that belongs to me."

She starts walking towards Tarian with malice in her eyes and says, "I saw you snatch it up, little thief, now… where is it?!"

Tarian attempts a lie and says, "I buried it at the castle-"

"I am not speaking to you!"

She reaches out towards his corrupted arm, and with a flick of her finger, it turns black again, and Tarian feels like he no longer has control over his arm. He tries to fight it as his arm reaches into his Bag of Holding, and he tries a swap by putting his good arm in and pulling out a bottle of black ichor while his corrupted arm grabs hold of the black crystal.

She eyes the bottle of black ichor that he holds out and says, 'Nah uh uh, no funny business. Hand it over."

His corrupted arm pulls out the black crystal, and he watches as the corruption spreads up his arm and begins to flood across his chest, and despite all efforts to hold back, he sets the black crystal down in the palm of her outstretched hand.

She gives him an ingratiating smile and says, "Thank you, you've been a good lad."

Movement from the ground draws their eyes, and they see Lord Blackheart waking up from the effects of the sleep arrow. His face is bleeding, and he looks up at Sara, and back at the group.

He seems to know his fate if he is left behind, and grabs her robe saying, "You have to take me with you!"

Sara looks at him with mock pity and says, "Oh, look at you."

Her mouth spreads into a huge smile as she casts Hellfire Ray on him, surrounding his body with evil fire. He falls back to the ground dead, but the group know that it is an evil spell that is not finished after killing a person. After that, the person's soul is sent to hell. Sara's smile vanishes after Blackheart falls to the ground, and she casually turns and walks away from the group. Myne tries to shout out to her cousin, screaming her name, but the figure continues to walk. After a few yards, she launches into the air, flying off to join the dragon.

Up above the city the dragon flies, heading directly towards the main tower at the center of the city. Flying to the very top it digs its hind leg claws into the side of the tower, its tail slamming into it like a mighty whip. With its forearms it grasps the crystal at the top, and with a * _swoosh_ * of its mighty wings it ascends into the sky, pulling the crystal off the tower. It turns its head back on the tower for one last time, and unleashes a torrent a blazing fire. Like the infernos of hell it engulfs the tower, and the stone cracks under the heat, turning it brittle. As the dragon pushes off into the sky, the top of the tower collapses in on itself, sending an avalanche of stone and dust crashing onto the streets of Avalon. On the battlefield, the Isidorian leaders signal their victory and order their troops to retreat. The group watch in desperate horror as the figures of Sara and the dragon, with the hooded white figure mounted astride it, fly off without a backwards glance.


	29. War for Nordost: 20th-23rd of Abadius

**20th-23rd of Abadius:** **The Battle's Aftermath**

The dust and soot spread through the city, covering all in grey. From the battle-worn shores of Avalon Lake, the forces of Isidore begin to disperse, many are lead away by commanders that signal their victory; others are cut down by the allied forces before they can withdraw. Eventually, the sounds of fighting all but vanish, and what remains is an eerie silence. Smoke and dust from Avalon, along with the burning siege weapons used by Isidore, bring a dirty haze to the air. The smell of smoke, blood, iron, and dirt permeates their noses as the group breathes in the cold air. Then the group begins to hear the moans and cries for help: those wounded or dying, begging for aid. There is no distinguishing friend from foe now, all the faces look the same, all covered in the grime of battle.

Before the group lay the bodies of Zangold Shieldheart and Asmodeus Zod, Namia still clutching onto Zod's body as she chants a spell to heal Zod's injuries. She is swiftly interrupted as Eldritch Knights from Avalon grab hold of her, taking her away towards the city. Namia's cries for Zod pierce the air before the Knights cast a Sleep spell upon her.

The city of Avalon is on a lockdown, with only a makeshift bridge created to traverse the last section of the destroyed bridge. The city's inhabitants do their best to clean up debris and aid the wounded. Outside of Avalon, tents are erected for the allied armies, for they will be stationed there until further orders are given. Tents are positioned in circles with a shared fire in the center, and the soldiers huddle up to these fires as the cold winter continues. The common soldiers are given small tents, with just enough room to sleep ten men. The close sleeping quarters help keep them warm at night. Throughout the camp morale is low; they have the hulking shell of the Tower of Avalon to continually remind them of their defeat.

 _ **Alex: Closure and Orders**_

At Alex's feet lays his father's corpse, his soul damned to hell by Sara. There was no closeness to his father given his years away from home, and now that his father was truly unmasked as a dishonorable man in league with the evil forces they fought against, Alex had just enough compassion to claim his father's body before it was taken away for mass burial during the cleanup of the battlefield. Acting almost by reflex, Alex builds a funeral pyre and burns his father's body in the manner befitting a nobleman: wearing his armor and holding his weapon at his chest. Alex performs the last rites as he would for any knight, but it saddens Alex to lose his father to evil. Through the last rites, he prays for his father's redemption; that the evil in his father might be forgiven and removed. Once the last embers die down, Alex feels a sense of closure with his father, but there were other wrongs to right.

When he reaches the tents being erected on the battlefield, he finds a messenger bearing the mark of Ani waiting for him, "Sir Alexander Shieldheart I presume? Your deeds in the battle for Ani alongside your grandfather are known to many in the company, and it would seem that you are making a name for yourself here outside the walls of Avalon. The army of Ani has need of you. We move west to Ano Liosia to hold another council with the other allied nations. You are requested to be among the number of leaders that move out shortly."

From his messenger bag he pulls out an envelope bearing the seal of Ani, which he hands over to Alex, "Here is your request to join the company; we march at sunset, so make any preparations you deem necessary."

Alex carefully reads the missive, which lays out the official request for departure among the leaders of Ani, and the meeting-place for the departure. It was a great honor to be selected -one that he would not turn down - but his thoughts are pulled back to the members of his party that had been hurt by his fall. He wanted to give Poppet and Myne the apologies they deserve, but with the company moving out in a matter of hours he did not have the time to locate them. He settles for writing each of them a letter, and after sealing each one he finds the messenger tent where soldiers could receive and send letters, and leaves the letters in the care of the messengers. He hopes that they will find their way to the two of them; he felt that with their key role in the battle (despite the loss) someone would know of them.

Alex then concentrates on the impending departure: he saddles Sif, repacks his bag, and takes a look at a map of their route for his own edification. He then rides to a large tent with the flag of Ani waving from the top spike, and inside finds Major General Uvaz Lider of the Anian army seeing to final preparations before their departure. He gives Alex a smile and a nod when he sees him open the flap of the tent, and gestures to an empty seat for him to make himself comfortable. It is impressive to watch the major general lay out their route, order the scouts to leave, and finally exit the tent with Alex following in his wake.

He finally gives Alex his full attention, "Sir Shieldheart, I knew your grandfather well, and I can't help noting the similarities between you and Sir Songsteel. Your presence is most welcome in this company, and we look forward to your contributions when we arrive in Ano Liosia. Let's ride out!"

With a grin that has not crossed his face since his nights with Sara, he gives Sif a nudge and follows in line behind Major General Lider westward into the setting sun.

 _ **Roth, Myne, Poppet, and Mastodon: Aiding the Wounded**_

Clerics and priests from the allied nations and Avalon soon join the battlefield, aiding the wounded. A general from Reynes, Vyncent Desiosus, an old knight distinguished in the last war, is seen with several clerics looking to give soldiers needed aid. Despite having a gashed forehead staining his white tunic red, Vyncent insists that aid is given to his men first. He actively searches the field for survivors.

For four days a large amount of the after-battle cleanup takes place. The bodies of named soldiers are removed; taken by wagon back to their families for appropriate burial. Others, the common man, are buried on location, their weapons and armor stripped for reuse. Alongside the healers of the allied forces, Poppet, Mastodon, Roth, and Myne spend their time spread throughout the battlefield giving aid to the wounded, dying, and countless dead. As they wander the fields they find countless broken bodies, and the ground is slick with cold mud. Occasionally they hear cries, or a hand reaching out for help. Towards the end of each day, their spell powers run out, and they lose the ability to do anything for the dying.

On the first night, Widget's ears prick up, and he leaps towards a body lying face up. Poppet approaches, and sees a young man of about 15 years with short hair. A broken lance protrudes from his stomach, and she watches his breathing come in heavy stuttering gulps, as if with each breath he is being plunged beneath dark waters. He looks up at Poppet with glassy eyes, and he is trembling with tears flowing down his face.

His breathing becomes shallower, and he cries out for his mother, "Please mommy, I don't want to go!"

Having expended all her spells, she can do nothing to save the young soul, and she watches as he slowly slips away, his body becoming limp and lifeless.

The sight breaks her heart, and she curses her abilities, _Why do I harm when I could heal...save. Could I have saved him if my patron were another?_

Over the course of the four day cleanup, the group each find many cases like this, where they can only offer comfort to the dying before they slip away.

Myne takes on the task with a particular tenacity. On a daily basis she exhausts all of her spells to care for the wounded: she stabilizes four soldiers bleeding out, casts Cure Light Wounds four times, casts Cure Moderate Wounds twice, and casts Cure Severe Wounds once per day. She does not distinguish between allies and enemies in her decision to heal, although if she determines that the person she is healing is a soldier from Isidore, she questions them about their allegiance or situation. If they stand fast to Isidore she alerts allied soldiers to their location so the soldier can be imprisoned. If they believably have been coerced or enslaved into the army she quietly lets them remove their Isidorian colors and slip away freely.

The group is hit hard by what they witness on the battlefield. For Myne, the four days are painful for her: the carnage and destruction she is exposed to is almost too much to bear, and most of her waking moments she is in tears, weeping for the fallen. She barely eats, and only rests long enough to restore her spells. She sleeps in one of the tents erected on the battlefield, crying herself to sleep into Rauros's soft fur. Even in winter's long darkness she transforms into an owl to scour the field at night and in the early hours of dawn, desperate to save one more soul.

For Mastodon, he is accustomed to fighting and killing, but honorably and only when it is necessary. He always sought to increase his wealth, and was paid well to guard and protect some of the richest members of Kishian society; everything from royalty to the high-ranking members of the underground. He kept his silence, and thus kept the anonymity of those he protected. Rarely did he have to spill blood, but any that dared to attempt to assassinate his wards were shown no mercy. He was not a murderer though, and the battlefield at Avalon was full of nothing but these young boys with no training. Seeing their young lives extinguished so quickly gives him pause; it should not have been like this.

It also gives him further drive to sit down and write a letter home. Goruza needed to know that he was still well. Goruza was a half-orc that adopted him, and she had raised him like a son, teaching him to use his wits before his brawn, and how best to cope with the prejudices that their shunned race faced. They lived in a shanty community on the outskirts of Gangai, and Goruza taught him most of what he knows, including how to read others and judge whether they are being truthful, or trying to take advantage of him. Mastodon realized early that half-orcs are often feared and hated on sight, and mainly stayed within the community, only venturing out into the main city at night when he could hide his appearance. He would frequently sneak into the city library to steal books to read, and bring back for the others. Life in the outskirts was dangerous: their homes were the first hit by raiders, and the easiest for the nefarious to take advantage of. Children were often recruited by the thief's guild, stolen by slavers, and ignored by the higher-ups in society. Yet, it was Goruza's home, and after Mastodon had left to find work, she stayed behind. He sent her money to live, and always added a letter to keep her updated on how he was doing.

As long as she lived he would ensure she was well taken care of. He wondered if he would ever find a place to call home; for now he was content to earn his coin by working for Tarian and his Dragon's Quill...he and his companions were a magnet for evil. He knows that whatever is driving the destructive evil force forward needed to be put down utterly...the young did not deserve to die this way. Then after...well, perhaps being a simple guard would be enough. Perhaps he could even eschew his mask, and live without hiding his race, but growing up fast and hard tells him otherwise.

 _ **Marching Orders from the Pathfinders**_

At the messenger tent, Roth finds a letter addressed to their group. When he opens the letter, he finds Cygar's writing, and the request for the group to meet members of the Pathfinders in Ano Liosia to be a part of the planning for the allied nations' next moves. The meeting would take place in the capital building on the 10th of Calistril. Knowing that the journey to Ano Liosia would take them seven days of riding, he begins to wrangle the group to make preparations for the journey. It was good to have a direction, and he was hopeful to meet with expert fletchers to better combat the evil that was becoming their responsibility to confront.


	30. War for Nordost: 23rd of Abadius

**23rd of Abadius:** **The Last Day in Avalon**

 _ **Tarian & Lo: The Fullwinkle Special**_

On the day before the group would leave for Ano Liosia, after the city has had time to recover somewhat, Tarian and Lo decide to pay a visit to Fullwinkle Bobnip, the crazy gnome alchemist that bought their first batch of black ichor the last time they were in Avalon. Tarian approaches the front door to his shop, and senses a trap; he sees that the door is rigged to fire a crossbow bolt if it is opened. He carefully disarms the trap, and then pushes the door open, slowly peeking his head inside. He calls for Master Fullwinkle, but does not get a response. Most of the lab is still functioning: he sees glass beakers on lab tables everywhere, and hears the sounds of bubbling and boiling concoctions. He also does not see the rat, but when Tarian and Lo step further into the lab they begin to hear the sounds of growling and the rattling of a cage.

They notice a set of stairs going down to a cellar, and when they call out, they hear a gnomish voice calling up, "If that be the adventurer from before, I recommend you leave now before you get hurt!"

Tarian and Lo continue down to the cellar, and see that the cellar is also another lab. Fullwinkle is in a corner of the room with a large crossbow aimed at the cage that the rat used to live in. Instead of the rat, the cage holds a large, grotesque creature with fangs and quills coming out of its back, growling fiercely at Fullwinkle.

Fullwinkle sees them approach and says, "I may have given it some of the black ichor. More than I think it could handle at the time. I recommend you not ingest the liquid!"

Tarian holds out his corrupted arm and says, "I already have an issue, but I have it all under control…"

As Fullwinkle examines his hand, Tarian says, "The last time I was here, you had said that if I were to find more of the ichor I could come to you again."

Fullwinkle eagerly looks up at Tarian and says, "Have you found more? I could run a few more experiments, I just need some more rats-"

Tarian cuts in with, "And better cages."

Fullwinkle concedes the point and says, "How much do you have?"

Lo removes the bottle of ichor from the bag, and as he does Fullwinkle gives him his full attention, "You there, blue eyebrows! I have a new elixir if you would like to give it a try!"

Lo grins as he takes the proffered flask, and downs it in a couple gulps. It tastes like purple, and feels like he ingested a caterpillar. Tarian watches for the effect, and sees Lo's eyebrows change from cobalt blue to orange, and then the brows become more bushy and extravagant.

Lo smiles as he sees his reflection in a mirror that Tarian holds up for him and says, "Incredible as always, Fullwinkle!"

The gnome grins, and says, "Your eyebrows will probably change color every morning," and then he turns his attention to Tarian again and says, "Well the bottle that your buddy is holding is much more than before…"

Tarian nods and says, "To add even more value to the deal, I can also tell you how to keep the corruption at bay."

With that, he takes out a white crystal, and holds it over his arm. The corruption struggles to recede from his chest, as if it had a stronger hold on his body now, but it finally creeps up to his shoulder, dwindling under the white crystal's presence. Fullwinkle approves of the display, and offers 3,000 gold. Lo tries to bump up the price to 3,500, but Fullwinkle stays firm at 3,000 and they call it a deal with the knowledge that if more is brought to him, there might be an incentive to pay more. Fullwinkle also shares with Tarian and Lo the results of the studies he conducted with the ichor, citing an increase in aggressiveness, strength, and constitution. Of course, charisma fell horribly alongside the increases, and nothing that he had tried thus far had any effect on the ichor. Fullwinkle sees them to the door, and Lo thanks Fullwinkle again for the eyebrows, and gives Tarian an empty flask to replace the one given. Tarian smiles and lets Fullwinkle know that if he ever wants to move, that there would be a place for him in Ano Liosia in his guild.

Fullwinkle smiles and says, "We'll be in contact! Oh and watch out for the front door, I've had it set up!"

 _ **Poppet: Faerie Wings and Fox Ears**_

On the last day of the cleanup, Poppet leaves the battlefield completely burned out. She had spent the last three days expending every last bit of her power to give what aid she could, and all she wants as she enters Avalon is a place where she could take Widget and be secluded; perhaps to be able to listen to people without talking, to relax and escape the horrors of the last few days. She decides that her room at the inn is best, and heads there almost on autopilot. The door to her room swings open, and she takes in the ordinary view with pleasure: a simple, quiet room with a soft bed, a wooden table and two chairs, and a window looking out on the city, slightly frosted from the cold of winter outside.

Widget hops onto the bed, and curls up on the pillow as Poppet lights a couple candles she had placed on the table, and takes her thin, metal harrowing cards out of their pouch. She idly flips through them, as she finds the process therapeutic. She was distraught that she and Myne could not save everyone even if they tried. She was thankful for what she could do, and happy that those she did save were now alive and well in the world instead of in mass graves on the battlefield, but she felt that it still wasn't enough. She had picked up a letter from Alex at the messenger tent before she left, but she is not ready to read whatever he had to say; it lays unfolded on the table next to her. A small tear rolls down her cheek as she wishes for rest for those that would never leave the battlefield, and she grips her cards tightly.

Suddenly, the flames from her candles burn brighter, illuminating the room even more. Their brightness continues to increase, and Widget hops up to his feet, and jumps down on the floor to stand below Poppet. He howls loudly, and a rush of wind blows through the room, picking up the cards from her hands and blowing them around the room. A spellbook on the end of the table flops open, and the pages flip wildly in the wind. A burst of white light engulfs Widget, nearly blinding Poppet. She puts her hands up to her eyes to block the light, and peeking through her fingers she sees that Widget is changing shape. She feels a gust of warmth and then the lights go out. The wind stops, and she hears her cards clang and drop to the floor around her. She takes her hands away from her eyes, and as she looks around she sees that the room is in complete darkness, save for a soft glow. The glow is coming from the tiny humanoid figure of a young woman with wings like a butterfly. Poppet at first thinks it is a faerie, but corrects herself as she recognizes the distinct features of an Azata. She also sees that out of the young woman's head are a pair of cream-colored foxlike ears. Her heart sinks when she sees the ears, and realizes that her Widget is gone. The tiny figure spins in the air and does a full body stretch with a satisfied sigh, and turns to Poppet.

She smiles and says, "You must be my new master. The name is Ellete."

She points at herself and winks slyly.

Then, she starts to look over Poppet critically, saying, "You're a lot shorter than my last master…. a lot less horns too."

Poppet's stunned silence is broken, saying, "I'm sorry, what? Why would I have horns? And Widget… is he...?"

The azata smiles and says, "I was sent to you, and I don't know who Widget is…I was sent to you by Milani. She felt your pain, and I am here to aid you. Oh we're going to have so much fun!"

The name Milani sparks something in Poppet's memory, and she recalls the goddess also known as The Everbloom, and a stunning realization creeps up on her that she may have a new Patron, and this little creature is her new familiar. It also seems that her new Patron wanted to keep the memory of Widget alive by reincarnating him, and keeping his ears. Ellete plops down on the pillow, rolling over onto her stomach, holding her head in her hands and coyly kicking her feet in the air behind her as Poppet relights the candles.

She looks at Poppet and says, "So tell me about yourself, I want to know who you are."

Poppet swallows hard, still taking in what she had lost and gained in a matter of minutes.

She was not ready to tell this new little person her life story, and it was jarring to see an azata in front of her, but if this new person was going to be with her for the foreseeable future... she starts by saying, "My name is... Poppet."

She misses the confused look Ellete gives her at the information and continues, "I'm a sylph from Gangai. I wander, help out the Pathfinders where I can…"

As she talks, Ellete listens intently, absorbing everything about her new master. In the light of the room, Poppet realizes that the tanned skin she had been used to have faded considerably. The markings of a sylph that she had been able to hide before under her old Patron of Deception were now clear as day: her swirly blue tattoos adorning the left side of her body stood out brightly against her pale skin. It seemed that much in her life would change now that she answered to a new Patron.

Ellete could see the questions in Poppet's eyes, and says, "Let me tell you a bit about Milani. She is the chaotic good goddess of liberation, protection, and healing. She is often considered the 'sister' of Iomedae since they were both servitors of Aroden. She is on fairly good terms with most deities, and her favored weapon is the morning star. Her symbol is a red rose growing out of a blood-soaked street. She fights against oppression and unjust rule. She is also called 'The Everbloom.' So now you know a bit more about Milani; we have the whole evening in front of us, what shall we do?"

The excitement of a new Patron and familiar creates a red flag in Poppet's mind as she recalls another witch: Namia. Her eyes widen as she recalls what Namia is capable of, and immediately wants to seek out the Eldritch Knights to ensure they are taking care of her properly.

She looks at Ellete and says, "I'm sorry, but what I plan to do requires you to stay here for your protection. I must go see a witch that has been captured on the battlefield, and I do not care to think of what could happen if you were within her presence."

Ellete looks a little dejected, but nods her head in understanding and plops herself down on Poppet's pillows as Poppet grabs her cloak and leaves the room.

Poppet knows that Namia was taken to a holding cell underneath Avalon. When she reaches the entrance, she sees two Eldritch Knights standing to attention at the door.

One stares her down and says, "State your business at such a late hour."

Poppet stands her ground and says, "I thought I would check on the prisoner that I helped to bring in."

The guard scoffs at her, "Miss, you cannot have admittance. The prisoner will see no visitors, so be off."

The other guard however, steps forward and says to the other, "Don't you know who this is? They brought her in here, along with the other one."

The other says, "Are you sure? Even if she is one of the ones who toppled her..."

After some back and forth, the first guard says, "I'm sorry miss. I did not know who you were, but do you have some way to prove your credentials?"

Poppet reaches into an inside pocket, and pulls out her Pathfinder token with an amused expression. She had carried it for years, and it had been ages since she had used it last. The guards nod, and unlock the door to admit her. The second guard escorts Poppet through the corridors lined with cells to where Namia is being held.

He says, "If you need anything, I will be standing close by."

Poppet inclines her head, and walks the rest of the corridor to the cell, stepping in front of Namia's cell. She looks into a normal cell, and the figure sitting upon the cot is motionless: her regular equipment from the battle are replaced with the prisoner's garb of cotton pants and a shirt; her hands and feet are shackled, and her head is bent down making her white hair hang in front of her face. She doesn't move or react to Poppet's presence, and looking around the cell Poppet does not see Namia's fox familiar anywhere.

She makes her way down the corridor and quietly asks the guard, "Where is the fox that came in with her?"

The guard says, "The magi took it from her to one of the smaller towers in the city."

Poppet lets out a sigh of relief and returns to the cell, stepping up to the bars and saying, "Namia?"

She gets a stiff reply from behind the white tresses, "Go away."

Poppet again goes back to the guard and asks, "Have any of the Pathfinders talked to her yet?"

The guard says, "Two others were here the other day, one lizardfolk man with a scar across his face and the other rather colorfully-dressed with a hat."

Poppet knows that this must be Cygar and William. It sounds like their interrogations were unsuccessful, since she has held the same demeanor since she arrived.

Poppet decides to try a different tact, and begins by asking, "What were your motives for working alongside Zod and the possessed sorceress? What did you gain by being a part of such evil?"

It does not provoke a response, so she tries again, "Do you even know if Zod is alive or not?"

At these words, the drow lifts her head to look at Poppet: she looks like she has been crying; her eyes are red and bloodshot, and she quietly says, "If I thought him to be alive I would not be in such dismay. I have lost many friends, but to lose Zod…it would be the end of me."

Poppet is also unsure of Zod's current condition, and says to Namia, "I do not know anything concrete about his condition, but they did take him off the battlefield."

Namia seems slightly hopeful and says, "If you can find what his current status is, and if he be alive, I will tell you what I know, and tell you my story."

Poppet bows her head and says, "I will do what I can; I will leave for the time-being."

She ushers to the guard, and he escorts her out of the prison cells. Unsure of where she might find Zod, Poppet heads back to the inn to see if she might be able to find a Pathfinder to aid her in the evening's quest. She assumes that she needs to find hard evidence to bring back to Namia for her to talk, and that is enough to make her want to seek out the truth of the matter. At the inn where the Pathfinders have taken up residence, she finds an empty tavern except for Cygar sitting alone at a table with paperwork spread out in front of him.

She approaches, and coyly sits down at the table, "Cygar, can I buy you a drink?"

He looks up from his paperwork and says, "Miss Poppet, I would love a drink, it's been a long day."

She smiles and nods, and motions to the bartender for a bottle of wine. The bartender pulls out a green bottle and two glasses, and sets them at the table, pouring them each a glass before leaving the bottle. Cygar picks up his papers, and sets them aside as though resigning to himself that they can wait for the morning, and then takes his glass appreciatively.

He leans back in his chair, enjoying the wine and says, "What can I do for you tonight?"

Poppet gives Cygar a sidelong glance and asks, "What progress have you made with your interrogations with Namia?"

Cygar sighs and says, "We are at a standstill, she hasn't given us anything to go on…why?"

Poppet admits to seeing Namia, and Namia's offer to tell her story if she can bring back word of Zod's condition.

Cygar nods and says, "Oh, well Zod is faring well. He survived, anyway. The clerics here were able to bring him back from unconsciousness. The Magi have been questioning him relentlessly for the last couple days."

Poppet looks hopeful and says, "Is there any way I can speak to Zod?"

With some hesitation Cygar says, "Zod has been quite difficult to handle in comparison to Namia...but if I go with you I think we could see him for a moment."

Poppet says excitedly, "Great! We are scheduled to leave for Ano Liosia tomorrow..."

Cygar looks longingly at his glass, then downs it and says, "Though it's late, we could head over now. Bartender, these are on the Pathfinders' tab!"

Cygar escorts Poppet to a different area of Avalon, where there is a smaller tower guarded by Eldritch Knights. They recognize Cygar as he approaches, and let Poppet and Cygar pass. As they walk the corridors, Poppet notices a lot more security here: more mages, other knights, and clerics. She is lead through a series of gates going up a few flights of stairs to a cell where Zod is being kept. When they look in the cell, Poppet sees that Zod is shackled to the wall, and when he sees them, he stares at them with a sinister look on his face. He exudes absolute hatred, but he does not say anything to them right away.

Finally, he spits at the two of them and says, "You've come back for more have you? The Lizardman and his whelp. Well, you will get nothing out of me."

Poppet raises an eyebrow at being called Cygar's whelp, and she turns to look at Cygar.

He says, "It's your show."

She leans against the bars nonchalantly and says, "I'm not here to question you; Namia asked after you."

He raises an eyebrow, and then looks down at the ground for a moment before looking back at Poppet and says, "If you harm a hair on her head I will make you suffer in this life or the next, and I will hunt down you and your children's children-"

Poppet interrupts his monologue and says, "I'm not going to touch your friend. She asked me to find out your status, so here I am."

He quietly mulls over his options and then says, "Go back to her, and tell her that I live, and I retain my honor."

Internally Poppet wonders if this single phrase is enough to convince Namia that Zod lives, so she shrugs and says, "If that's all you have to say to her..."

Zod says, "Wait," and then takes a moment, thinking to himself.

He looks back up at Poppet and says, "You stay here, but the lizardman needs to leave."

Poppet sends a questioning look to Cygar, who shrugs and walks away saying, "Whatever, I'll be down the hall."

Zod watches Cygar walk away and says, "That one I do not trust. You, I feel are similar to who Namia is. If you could for me, tell her that if we do come out of this alive that I will make things better."

Poppet nods and leaves the cell.

When she sees Cygar at the end of the hallway he says, "I hope he told you something important… enough to get Namia to talk. Do you want me to accompany you?"

Poppet says, "You can come with me for the Pathfinders, but it might be best to not show yourself."

Cygar shakes his head saying, "Just fill us in, we'll let you decide what is worthy to tell us."

Poppet makes her way back to Namia's cell alone, and when she approaches the bars, she says Namia's name.

Namia looks up to her in response, and Poppet says, "Zod is alive."

Namia's eyes widen, and she asks, "You saw him? Is he in good health?"

Poppet shrugs and says, "He looks to be, well enough to converse."

She presses Poppet further and asks, "What did he say?"

Poppet relays Zod's message that he has retained his honor, and Namia smiles and says, "I see."

She looks down at the floor, smiling and staring off, and says, "I'm sorry, Zod is good…. he means well. He is a man who holds honor very close to his heart. I know what he means, and I thank you."

Poppet looks at her and says, "A deal is a deal…"

Namia nods and lets out a sigh, then looks up at the ceiling and says, "Long ago I was part of the House Zoetarmion, 5th House of Garnogimoria. A lesser house rose up and attacked us in an attempt to take the 5th seat. In drow society, in order for a noble house to rise within the first 10 Houses, every last member of that house must be killed. In the chaos my mother told me to run, and carry on my House name. I was scared, and did what she told me to do. I ran through the dark, through numerous tunnels until I came up to the surface where I thought no one would find me. My eyes were blinded, and I could not see. I had to find food on my own at night. I was there alone, very young, and very unfamiliar with everything.

"As time passed I began to wander far from the cave where I emerged, into a valley. One night I came across a small farm, and there was a warm glow from the windows. I was curious, so I decided to take a closer look. The farmer kept several dogs, and they attacked. They snarled at me, and a man emerged from the house and beat me with a club, chasing me away. I was bloody and broken, and I could feel myself slipping away. The last thing I remember was a cloaked figure, a flash of lightening, and bright blue eyes. I felt like I was floating, being carried off.

"When I awoke, I was warm and in a comfortable bed. I was the first to be taken in by Kyus. He cared for me, treated my wounds, and nursed me back to health. Asmodeus came next, and for a long time it was just us. We became close, and others followed. We were abandoned misfits, discarded by society. Kyus trained us, became our father. He is a religious man on a divine quest to save the world from darkness. He is going to bring back a god...but I started second-guessing the many that we killed in his name. Kyus said they were small sacrifices to save many. I stuck by Asmodeus, he is very honorable, I guess Kyus got to him and he can be thick-headed. He is aligned to follow Kyus's hopes and dreams. As time went on though...this doesn't feel right, what we are doing. I'm sorry, these are painful memories. I would like to be alone now if I could."

Poppet inclines her head, and says, "Thank you. Zod also said that he wants to make things better."

Namia smiles and says, "I know he will. Thank you."

Poppet returns to her room for the night after relaying the important information to the Pathfinders. She realizes that Alex's letter still lies unopened on her table, but she is too exhausted to deal with what the grump-ass paladin has to say. She curls up in her blankets and pillows and drifts off to sleep.

The next morning, Poppet wakes up to see Ellete on the pillow next to her. Ellete lays on her stomach with her head propped upon her hand, swinging her legs back and forth as she stares at Poppet, a position Poppet begins to realize is a particular favorite of her familiar's.

The azata's bored expression morphs into a grin as she realizes Poppet has finally awoken and chirps a "Good Morning, Miss Poppet!" as Poppet stretches.

After grabbing a plate of food at Ellete's insistence (and watching her familiar eat most of the plate herself), Poppet begins packing for the trip to Ano Liosia. When she stumbles across Alex's letter, she sighs and settles on the windowsill to read. Not expecting much from the short page written in Alex's quick scrawl, Poppet is rather surprised to find a heartfelt apology from the paladin:

 _To Poppet the friendly; my comrade,_

 _I apologize for the haste with which I write this letter to you today. I must leave momentarily to travel to Ano Liosia ahead of our party._

 _First and foremost I must with all my heart and body express to you the deep regret I feel for my behavior outside the Temple of Pharasma. Never should a Paladin attempt to harm someone who isn't of the most foul evil or intentions. I should have never allowed myself to fall so far. You are a kind, helpful soul and deserve nothing but respect and honor. You were one of the few who attempted to bring me back to the light and my behavior was appalling. There is absolutely no excuse for what I did and for the manner in which I presented myself. The feelings that caused all you saw is absolutely indefensible._

 _During the great battle against my father, at the moment I was to bring down my sword upon him, time stopped and my mind and body went someplace I cannot explain. I was brought to the feet of my grandfather and my goddess Iomedae. This spiritual event moved me in such a way that I now see that I was on the wrong path. The events that have revitalized my beliefs in Iomedae and the good that is worth fighting for in this world. I pledge to you my dear comrade that I will fight for all that is holy and just. I will gladly give my life for our cause and pledge to protect and assist you and our party until our ways part._

 _I do not ask for your forgiveness, as it isn't in my right to do so. I just promise you will not see such behavior again and I will do everything in my power to dispel the darkness that may surround us and smite all evil that may cross our path._

 _May Iomedae protect and watch over you until our paths cross again._

 _Sir Alexander Arthur Shieldheart, The Elysian Aegis, son of Krisonna Songsteel, grandson of Sir Arthur Songsteel._

Huffing and placing the letter down, Poppet focuses her attention out the window to the city below.

"What's that?!" she hears her familiar ask, before she feels Ellete settle on her leg.

"A letter from a… companion," Poppet tells her, sighing before looking back at the letter resting beside her.

"A friend, I suppose," she adds, crinkling her nose at the thought of Alex.

Poppet quickly rattles off her history with Alex while getting up and walking over to her pack. Digging through its contents, Poppet pulls out a singed and battered journal, and a pendant in the shape of a sword and sunburst.

"That's a pendant of Iomedae, isn't it?" Ellete questions with large eyes.

When Poppet hums an affirmative, Ellete's gaze turns angry.

"He's a Paladin of Iomedae, and he _dares_ act like that?! If one of Milani's followers acted in such a manner she'd-"

"Hush," Poppet interrupts, brushing her thumb over the carved features of the pendant.

"I thought at one point that I'd had my life unfairly taken from me. I'd grown up surrounded by riches and clothed in silks, before learning the harsh realities of this world. I was a most bitter, distrustful thing after that-for many decades. So desperate I was to escape from my own pain that I gave a part of myself to a patron that I still know nothing about, agreed to a deal whose terms remain still unknown to me."

Smiling at her new familiar, Poppet wraps the journal and the pendant in one of her silk scarves before packing them securely in one of the outer pockets of her pack, "If Iomedae can forgive her fallen follower, who am I to continue to cause him grief over his realization that this world is not fair?"

 _ **Myne: Alex's Redemption & Bo's Rescue**_

At the end of the third day when the last of the bodies are buried and the soldiers are bivouacked outside Avalon, Myne gives in to weariness and leaves the battlefield behind. She slowly makes her way to the military tents outside Avalon's walls, and as she walks past the messenger tent, she sees one of the soldiers trying to flag her down.

He grabs a letter from one of the boxes, and runs out to her saying, "Are you Miss Elladan? You have a letter."

She dumbly holds out her hand to accept the letter, confused by who would leave her anything until she sees the Songsteel crest upon the seal: Alex's mother's family crest. She lets out a shudder; the young man had been insufferable, and seeing his detachment and self-destruction was like pouring salt on an open wound, as thinking of him only made her think about Sara. Without the single-mindedness of searching for survivors on the battlefield, Sara floats once again to the front of her mind. The death of Sara would have almost been welcome in comparison to what she was; it was so much worse to see her cousin alive but not herself, the walking dead. She grimly returns her attention to the letter, and decides to find a quiet spot behind a tent, and sits on an upturned bucket. She breaks the wax seal, and with some trepidation opens the letter:

 _To Simbelmyne my friend, my ally, the one who knows my heartache._

 _I apologize for the haste with which I write this letter to you today. I must leave momentarily to travel to Ano Liosia ahead of our party._

 _Simbelmyne, let me as I have not been able to at this point sincerely express my condolences on the loss of your dearest, most beloved cousin Saraneth. In my cloud of sorrow, hate, and self-loathing I failed to come to the conclusion that the pain I felt must have been nowhere near what you felt. Not only did your lose your kin and a dear friend in a horrible manner, you had to endure my most ungraceful fall and live your loss through my actions._

 _Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine my heart would beat for one that wasn't my dear Iomedae. The concept of love and affection was that of a far off fairy tale. At a young age I wanted to be my grandfather and protect my homeland, my country, and those most oppressed from the evils of the world. Never did the concept of love enter my heart until dearest Sara entered my life. While I let my emotions and heart overcome my mind and calling, I will always have to look back and cherish what I was once allowed for that fleeting moment. Saraneth was and will always be my last mortal love._

 _I will mourn for her everyday and while I have regret for what I became, I will now channel everything into my true calling. During the heat of battle against my father, at the moment I was to bring down upon him a deathstrike, time stopped and my mind and body went someplace I cannot explain. I was brought to the feet of my grandfather and Iomedae. This spiritual event moved me in such a way that I now see what had escaped me. I once again see the light and will fight for all that is right and holy in our world. I will be the shield, I will be the sword, the holy warrior for my dear goddess Iomedae. I will right the wrongs of the evil, I will help those who cannot help themselves. I will bring upon the battle against evil a swift justice._

 _I cannot ask you to forgive me dear Myne. It is in your right to hate me forever and I will accept that. I will however love you like a sister, protect you like a daughter, and stand beside you in our battles, a soldier willing to lay down my life so you may continue. Your heart is pure and your faith is strong. You at such a young age understand what is holy and I can only hope to help you foster this. You were there for me when I needed it during a time you needed more. I will honor you till time stops for me._

 _May Iomedae protect and watch over you until our paths cross again._

 _Sir Alexander Arthur Shieldheart, The Elysian Aegis, son of Krisonna Songsteel, grandson of Sir Arthur Songsteel._

It was not what she had expected: she had expected venom and instead received a flower. She thought she was going to read about the paladin's desire to be rid of the group and a final goodbye, but instead she read with relief and tears in her eyes that Alex had found his goddess again, and he was apologizing for his actions. He was saying a goodbye, but it was a goodbye for now, and that he would be with the group again soon. She rereads the letter several times, crying to herself for his salvation, but also for her loss. She had been keeping hope that Sara could come back, and reading Alex's words of condolences was like a nail in the coffin. He was back, but she was gone. She wanted to hold him as if he were an older brother, and cry herself to sleep, but it seems that he had already left for Ano Liosia; it was something she would have to wait for. The whole reason Myne was here to begin with was because she didn't want to be left behind, and with Sara gone she felt alone and adrift, but now it seemed that she had Alex. They could share the loss and pain together, and perhaps in time that would help heal the wound. He didn't ask for forgiveness, but she had already forgiven him before she finished reading the letter, now grimy, bloody, and tear-stained from her handling it. She lovingly folds the letter, places it in a pocket close to her chest, and stands up feeling for all the world as if she had found out who she really was.

She wipes the tears from her dirty face, trying hard to put on a strong facade until she can be alone, and stumbles away to find water to wash away the grime, blood, sweat, and pain. Even in the freezing cold, she wants to find a wild body of water to pray to Gozreh as she washes, hoping that the freezing cold waters will numb her body and mind. She prays for Alex and Sara, and then for all the lost souls on the battlefield. After washing, she makes her way to Avalon for desperately-needed food and company (she needs a hug, a shoulder to cry on, and maybe a drink or two or seven).

She makes her way to the inn that has graciously offered rooms to her and the group, and pushes open the door to the tavern. She shudders as she feels the warmth of the fire in the grate, and closes her eyes in pleasure at the smell of food. She shakily walks up to the bar, and seats herself in a stool while Rauros slumps down below her chair. She looks hopefully at the bartender, and croaks when she first tries to order. With a clearing of her throat, she manages to order herself a cup of warm wine, and a plate of bread and cheese. When she receives her plate and glass, she eats slowly and deliberately, trying to not make herself sick. She still hiccups every now and then at the thought of the lost souls on the battlefield, and she silently raises her wine glass in their honor. As she looks at her glass and the warm, red, numbing liquid within, a thought occurs to her that there may be one more soul to save: Bo. The realization that Bo's freedom may be in her hands nearly knocks her out of her chair. She thinks back three days to when Zod and his sword were carried off the field by Eldritch Knights. She then thinks back further to the last time she saw Bo: being enveloped by darkness and then disappearing when he was stabbed through by Zod's sword.

All weariness and sorrow forgotten, she jumps out of her chair and looks around the bar for help. Rauros lets out a grumble at her feet as he is moved out of the way, but he senses urgency from Myne and waits for her movement. She doesn't want to try to approach Zod, the sword, or the Eldritch Knights on her own, but the bar was somewhat empty at the moment.

She needs to find someone, but she knew that Alex had already left for Ano Liosia, and she looks hopefully to the bartender, "Have you seen any of my companions around...the ranger, or the witch maybe? But any of the Pathfinders would be of help."

"I have not seen the ranger, rogue, barbarian, or bard all day, and your witch friend left with Cygar earlier in the evening."

At that moment, the tavern door swings open and Cygar himself walks in, shaking off the cold, "Another drink, please. This night was busier than I anticipated-"

He stops short at the sight of Myne, and she takes a breath to compose herself, and as calmly as she can asks, "Cygar, do you know the whereabouts of Zod and his sword? I have a companion that might be saved from the sword now that both it and Zod are in the possession of the city and the Pathfinders."

Cygar nods as if he was expecting this, "I was meaning to speak with your party about the sword, and the possible souls trapped within."

He sighs and continues, "We can discuss it tonight, but know that the sword will be coming with us to Ano Liosia."

She looks at him with awe, "How...how do you know about the sword?"

"The sword is in the hands of a good informant that told me all about its properties. His name is Traegar Ingotsmelter and he is an advanced weaponsmith here in the city; some say the best one on the western coast of Nordost."

"Why the sword must go to Ano Liosia? I don't understand."

"Things will be clearer when we talk to Traegar; there is a problem with releasing the souls."

They put their cloaks on, and head out into the city. Cygar leads Myne towards the center of the city where the tower collapsed, and heads toward a building set in a small side street. A sign hangs out from the building that says, _Traegar Ingotsmelter: Hammers & Blades_. Despite being very late at night, a light from a window bathes the street in yellow-orange, and the sounds of hammering could be heard from within. Cygar nonchalantly opens the door and walks inside, with Myne and Rauros following in his wake. He looks at Myne as she takes in the view from the well-lit entrance of the shop: elegant blades, hammers, and axes hang on the walls, mostly Dwarven in style with hard angles and geometric shapes, but there are a few Elvish-style blades with elegant curves as well. From an adjacent room the light of a forge and the sounds of hammer blows emanate.

She looks to Cygar who says, "There are men that are passionate about their work… Traegar borders on obsession."

Cygar calls out to Traegar, saying, "Mr. Ingotsmelter… it's Cygar. I've brought a companion with me. Can we have a bit of your time?"

A dwarf appears from the back room wearing thick goggles and a heavy leather apron and holding a hammer. His long brown beard has singes from sparks, and he has the distinct odor of burnt dwarf hair.

He smiles at Cygar and says, "Oh Cygar, I wasn't expecting you until morning. Are you here to pick _It_ up?"

Cygar shakes his head, gestures towards Myne, and says, "There's two of us tonight…This is Simbelmyne, and she has a companion trapped in the sword."

Myne nods nervously and says, "Sorry to disturb you, thank you for seeing us so late Master Ingotsmelter."

Traegar smiles and walks to a far table, upon which rests a sword wrapped in thick white cloth. He picks it up carefully and unwraps the sword, being ever-so careful to not touch the blade.

Myne lets out a small shudder as she sees Zod's sword fully laid out before her, and Traegar puts the unwrapped blade on the table saying, "What we have here is a life-stealing blade...a very demonic weapon. What is known is that if anyone good of heart were to touch the blade, it would do irreparable damage. It is extremely powerful, and I've only ever seen a handful that are so old. It was forged long ago, during the time of the Azlant. Whenever the wielder deals a critical blow, the blade absorbs the essence of the target into a black amethyst. There is a way to free those locked within, and that way is to smash the crystal with a hammer or other weapon. It would be easy if not for the strength of the blade. You must acquire a weapon of equal or greater magical strength, and to find something like that would be quite a challenge; Avalon certainly does not have anything like that."

Myne twiddles with her hands in front of her, thinking, then asking, "Will the craft of the weapon give any clue as to its power?"

Traegar seems to swell with the opportunity to talk more about the weapon and says, "This weapon was crafted before Nordost was civilized, forged by an ancient hand, possibly Azlanti. I'm familiar enough with the old text to recognize runes from the same era."

Myne thinks more and asks, "Must the weapon oppose the evil, and be a good weapon of the same nature?"

Traegar says, "Not necessarily; as long as it is equal or greater to it in power, anything less would destroy the weapon used."

Myne runs her fingers through her hair and says, "How can we possibly know that we have a weapon to best it?"

Traegar sees Myne's frustration and despair, and gravely says, "It will be an extremely rare weapon. No smith can forge something like it now, weapons of that kind could have only been forged when magic was much more pervasive. Your best bet would be to seek a family that came from across the seas that may possess an heirloom. The oldest families are on the eastern coast of Nordost. The Isidorian Empire boasts some of the oldest families, as do the families of Orestus. Even an elven or dwarven family may have something strong enough, although the dwarves are under Isidorian control at the moment. The elves have resisted Isidore so far, and there is an underground resistance in the dwarven empire that is plotting to take back their nation. Should you find a potential weapon, any arcane caster should be able to determine its magical strength, and compare it to that of the life-stealer here. I do not know the magical power of the weapon, but I understand that you have casters in your group that should be able to discern the power."

Myne looks to Cygar and asks, "So the blade is coming with us?"

Cygar nods and says, "I meant to deliver the news to you at our meeting in Ano Liosia, so yes, the blade is coming with us. Considering the courses that will be laid out at that meeting, this blade may be considered in your priorities."

Myne sighs heavily, desperate and impotent in the face of the weapon. It seems to be an impossible task, but one that would stay in her mind as they traveled on.

Traegar sees her deflate and says, "I know you want to release your friend, I am sorry. There may be many others trapped as well."

Cygar attempts to lighten the mood and says, "At least Bo would have his flask with him."

Myne smiles at the thought of her friend, and then of all the others inside the gem and wryly says, "If he has enough elbow room to raise the flask to his lips. With so many others trapped over the ages, this weapon must be mentioned in many stories, right?"

Traegar strokes his beard and thinks for a second, and slowly says, "I have heard stories from the Inner Sea, in Cheliax - a diabolical empire. In the last years before the calamity, the rulers were devil worshipers under the banner of Queen Abrogail II. The nobility worked with devils, making arrangements with hell for power at an unknown price. It was said that one was given a blade to take the lives of others, and granting untold power to the wielder, but at a price."

Myne wonders out loud if Zod knows the price he is paying to use the sword, to which Traegar says, "You could ask him, but he may not know. It happens often that men after power, no matter the race, will succumb to power without knowing the consequences."

Myne nods at this wisdom and says, "This is out of my league, but I will take the information to the group. If we do find a weapon, even to just borrow it...I want to be sure we can best it. I would hate to break someone's precious heirloom."

Traegar wraps the sword in the cloth and says, "Remember, do not attempt to use the blade, those good of heart cannot use it."

Myne thinks of the future, and the hope of finding a weapon to best it and says, "You may not know this… but...what will happen when we do break the gem? What will we see?"

Traegar shakes his head and says, "I have no idea what will happen."

Traegar holds out the sword, and with fear in her eyes Myne looks to Cygar for him to take it. Cygar takes the blade, and they begin to make their way to the front of the shop.

Traegar sees them out and says, "It's been quite the evening. If you need any work done, please stop by. I am looking for work, it would be a worthy challenge to craft a blade for adventurers."

Myne looks one last time with admiration at the beautiful elven blades and says, "I don't think I could afford it Master Ingotsmelter."

She keeps to the center of the shop as much as she can, fearful of accidentally breaking something (and fearing the cost of the damages) while Traegar laughs at her and says, "What, do you think my blades will break? That they are made of glass?"

Myne says, "No Master Ingotsmelter, I just do not trust myself."

Cygar and Myne walk back to the inn, and at the door Cygar bids Myne good evening. Desperate for company, Myne asks Cygar if she can buy him a drink, which he declines, noting the lateness of the evening, and the fact that they had a long day of travel the next morning. Myne nods to the wisdom of retiring to her room, and she and Rauros make their way to her room to spend their last night in Avalon.


	31. War for Nordost: 24th Ab -1st Calistril

**24th - 30th of Abadius:** **The Road to Ano Liosia**

The group (except for Alex) makes their way from Avalon to Ano Liosia. They leave early in the morning on the 24th of Abadius, and have a relatively uneventful ride west. They keep up their guard, aware that the road still holds its own dangers, on top of desperate deserters and scouts from the Isidorian army that may spring upon them, but they never have any ill encounters. Their only real concern is their own comfort on the week-long journey in the middle of the freezing winter.

 _ **Poppet & Myne: Female & Familiar Bonding**_

The group is traveling at a comfortable pace, and Myne is still in poor spirits from the battle and her lack of success at getting Bo out of the sword.

Riding next to Poppet, she has to take a second look, and wonders if her eyes are playing tricks on her as she swears she sees the figure of a tiny human with wings hiding in Poppet's cloak, and Poppet herself seems to be carrying herself differently, _And is she suddenly much paler?_

Myne clears her throat and says, "Poppet did something happen to you in Avalon? You seem different somehow..."

Poppet cringes at her words, and looks back at Myne with a slightly guilty look.

Myne looks surprised at Poppet's expression, turns away from Poppet, and says, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry..."

Poppet offers her a wry grin and rubs the back of her neck with her left arm.

Catching the patterns swirling over her arm from the corner of her eye, Poppet holds her arm out for Myne to see and issues a nervous giggle, "You're not prying, a lot has happened..."

Myne takes in the swirling blue tattoos on Poppet's arms with her eyes wide and says, "I'm not sure I really know who you are Poppet, but I think even that has just changed hasn't it?"

Poppet laughs again and offers Myne a sympathetic grin, "Sometimes, even I can't keep track of who I am on a given day. But today, I do believe, I am still your companion. Though you might find my magic slightly... different," she says, looking down where a shimmering figure is hiding within her cloak.

Myne follows Poppet's eyes to the creature in her cloak and says, "What happened to Widget? I see her ears... did she replace him?"

When the azata realizes that they are talking about her, she flies up from Poppet's cloak and face hugs Myne saying, "Hiiiii!"

Myne lets out a strangled, "Oh My Goodness!"

At first glance, Myne had assumed she was looking at a faerie, but when the creature emerges, she realizes that some key features are different.

Fearing accidentally insulting the creature she decides to speak in Common, saying, "Pleased to meet you Miss..."

The creature releases from Myne's face, and sits on her head saying, "I am Ellete, pleased to meet ya!"

Poppet gives an exasperated look at her new familiar and adds, "She's Widget's...replacement."

Myne lets out a giggle as she feels the creature land on her head and says, "Miss Ellete I am Simbelmyne, and this is Rauros my companion."

"Ellete shall be the newest member to our merry adventures it seems. She is an agent of the goddess Milani. Don't let her near your rations," Poppet says with a wink, laughing softly at her familiar.

The name does not ring any bells for Myne who says, "I am afraid I am unfamiliar with Milani, who is she?"

Ellete stands up on Myne's head and points to herself as she sticks out her bare chest saying, "I am the messenger of Milani: goddess of uprisings, fighter against oppression and unjust rule. I speak for the Everbloom, and guide Poppet towards her goal of bringing down the barbarism of this world, charging forth with freedom fighters to restore hope to all!"

After this exclamation, she plops back down in Myne's tousled hair and adds, "I also enjoy pie."

Myne giggles at the pie part and says, "Then I can appreciate your patron. Our goals in this desperate time are quite similar. I fight against the unnatural forces, and those that would corrupt the land and its people."

"It seems that Milani has claimed me," and Poppet gives Myne a questioning look saying, "Are you aware of how a witch gains her powers, my friend?"

Myne shudders as she recalls some of Poppet's powers: turning into a giant scorpion, casting misfortune and other maladies, and even sewing mouths shut.

She says, "N-no. Although for a long time I was unaware, perhaps naive at the time, of the fact that I had been given my own powers through Gozreh."

As Poppet and Myne talk, Ellete starts braiding Myne's hair (which ends up being more knots than braids), and Myne looks up and says, "Hey up there, I know I'm not the most kempt person but those will take forever to get out!"

Poppet stifles a giggle at her familiar's antics before continuing with, "I suppose the magics granted to a witch are not so different from what I understand of the magics you possess. My powers were granted to me by a patron, like yours were granted by Gozreh."

She turns away from Myne, staring out blankly in front of her, "I know nothing of my original patron, not even why they may have granted me such abilities in a world so destitute of magic."

Myne looks at Poppet with caring eyes and says, "Did you seek out those powers or did they come to you like Ellete?"

Out of the corner or her eye Myne spots a rare plant growing on the side of the road. While Poppet is deep in thought, she excuses herself to dismount and step off the road to retrieve it. She gets out her dagger, and carefully cuts part of the stem and leaf structure off.

She climbs back into the saddle and eyes the plant, saying out loud to herself, "I know this...my mother used to covet this for some of her remedies."

Poppet comes out of her reverie, scoffs lightly and says, "I don't think it's that simple of an explanation. I was frightened and desperate, looking for anything that could help me escape my situation. My patron offered power in exchange for something I'm still not aware of...a debt that may yet be collected."

Myne shudders again at the thought of a powerful being lingering behind Poppet and says, "I hope the debt is not too much to repay. I'll not ask what you were trying to escape unless you think you would be willing to talk about it…we all have our secrets."

She lovingly touches the plant that she had clipped and thinks quietly of her mother.

"I appreciate your consideration, perhaps another time with less company," says Poppet, glancing ahead towards their other companions, including Roth who glances back at them briefly.

When she turns back, she catches sight of the plant in Myne's hands and says, "Oh! You've a sharp eye for herbs. I've no idea what your use for them may be, but I may be able to use what you find to create some potions for our travels."

Myne looks at the plant and says, "My mother taught me herbalism... she never did get around to showing me how to make potions with them though. Since being out here away from her I've tried to make a living off of them by selling what I collect, but it hasn't been very successful. I think you've shown interest before. If you're willing to share the craft, I'd be able to make them alongside you."

Poppet smiles at Myne, realizing that for the first time in many, many years this young naive half-elf may become a friend to her. She had spent so many years alone, just trying to escape her past and her poverty, that she never had time for a friend. Since being pulled away from her life in the traveling circus, she had faced many horrific things that she never expected to see, but she also saw what those evils do to a ragtag group of young adventurers: they fought and quarreled sometimes, especially in their loss and grief, but they also protected and cared for each other like family. It was admirable, and Poppet knew that she would face many hardships if she stayed with this group (they seemed to be a magnet for the evil that was spreading across the land), but she also knew that she might find love and companionship, as well as a lifestyle and riches that she had not been privy to since she was young.

 _ **Alex's New Calling**_

Alexander travels for several days with the band lead by Uvaz Lider, and finally arrives in Ano Liosia. Most of the soldiers in tow break up and make camp outside of the city, while Uvaz and Alexander head to the capital area to meet up with Bolshyo Medvistan, the General of Ani's armies. They find Sir Medvistan - a middle-aged burly human with a thick black beard and balding head - waiting for them at the gates. Bolshyo welcomes Alexander and offers his condolences for the loss of not only his grandfather, but now his father as well. The three walk through the busy capital district, filled with military personnel from all allied nations. They then enter the capitol building itself where Uvaz bids them farewell to handle other assignments currently in progress. Bolshyo and Alex head to the general's temporary office space. He offers Alex a seat at the large war-table set up in the office, and asks if he would like anything to quench his thirst after the long ride.

Alex politely passes, and Bolshyo pours himself an ale, saying, "Very well."

He picks up a stack of papers and sits down directly across from Alex at the table, "Alexander, as I am sure you are aware, in all likelihood we are about to enter another long, bloody war. The last war left us robbed of many of our finest soldiers; good men, strong leaders, confident in their abilities. Of course, these men were the first to fall, as they had the courage to lead the charge, and as such we are severely lacking in skilled leaders."

He pauses a moment, eyeing Alex critically, and says, "I have a proposition for you Alexander Shieldheart. Among our current ranks there are five cadets with extraordinary talent and abilities. Cadets that, if trained, instructed, and guided correctly could become themselves more of the strong leaders that we are looking for. We need them to fill the gaps left by those we lost in the last war."

Alex tenses at the general's words, eager to be put into service.

Bolshyo says, "I ask that you play the role of their instructor. Mold them into intelligent, strong individuals who will be able to lead troops into battle."

He pauses and sighs as Alex contemplates the request and says, "I am not asking this as a general, but as a man who wishes this war to be ended swiftly for the good of all Nordost. Will you do this for us Alexander?"

Alex swells with pride and patriotism and says, "I will gladly teach these men. May Iomedae give me the strength to help make us stronger and repel our kingdom's enemies today and for the rest of time!"

Bolshyo smiles at Alex's heartfelt declaration and says, "Well said, Sir Shieldheart. Well said."

He pushes the papers over to Alex, "These documents offer some information on your cadets, and well, I should say... they are not all _men_."

Alex raises an eyebrow at this, and begins to look through the papers as Bolshyo explains, "The following are your cadets in training, and all of them are about your age. Poters Rigo is a male gnome wizard who is incredibly inventive. He comes from a fairly wealthy family in Reynes, a family that you have probably heard of in passing. Ullen Enerdan is a male elf oracle who identifies as a woman; a curious person who was adopted by an extremely wealthy family in Solaris. You know they are extremely influential. Mora Nimrinde is a female half-drow ranger, and is known for being a bit of a neat freak. Her skill with a bow has brought her great fame, and she has used that fame to aid the poor family she was brought up in. Orin Hammerhaul is a male dwarf barbarian from Ani who lacks a lot of self-confidence. He comes from a wealthy family which you have heard of but never have heard of this particular son... perhaps there is a reason for that...And finally Theldero Draha is a male half-orc cavalier, worships the god Shizuru. An extremely compassionate man who comes from a destitute family in the southern parts of Argo."

Bolshyo stands up and says, "Their training begins at sunrise on the second on Calistril. You will find their tents beside the river just outside of town. Look for the flag of Solaris flying there. They will be ready."

Alex quickly rises to his feet and says, "I will stand at the ready, and mold these soldiers!" then salutes Bolshyo and says, "For Ani!"

The general salutes back and says, "Keep me informed on their progress."

Alex nods and strides out of the general's office, ready to take on his new assignment.

 **1st of Calistril:** **Tarian & Lo Attract Attention**

Despite the upheaval in Avalon, Tarian and Lo are happy to see that Ano Liosia's business district does not appear to be affected. The city is bustling more than ever; on the outskirts of the city, on the eastern canyon side there is a make-shift village that has sprung up to support the low-ranking soldiers and sell-swords that have gathered in Ano Liosia to be a part of the next great war. There is tension in the air, and as they walk into the heart of the city, they see distrust, anger, and fear on the faces of soldiers that have lived through the war of sixteen years prior. They overhear two middle-aged men bickering about the impending war over a pint at the Hippogriff's Talon (a high-end bar near the capitol building that Tarian pops into).

They walk through the shops with their bag of holding, finding just the right buyer for all their loot. Lo, being the suave type, does all the talking. They sell mostly gems and fine trinkets, and keep some of the magic items that might have value for their group. In total, they walk away at the end of the day with 14,705 gold pieces, which they plan to split as evenly as they can for each of their comrades, including the two newcomers. In total, each person would receive 2100 gold pieces, 34 silver pieces, and 237 copper pieces. It was a hefty and royal sum for each of them, and seeing their party's reaction to the influx of money in their pockets would be one to enjoy.

After happily filling their money pouches with the gold they earned from a successful morning of selling off their goods, Tarian and Lo make their way back to their guild house, The Dragon's Quill. As they turn down a side street that leads to the entrance, they sense that something is off about the area. Out of the corner of their eye they see that they are being followed by Solarian soldiers with spears in their hands. They quicken their pace in an attempt to reach the guild house door before the Solarian soldiers can catch up with them, but as they approach the door, two more soldiers appear in front of them to block their path. The guild hall door opens, and a heavily armored soldier with a captain's cloak steps out to greet them.

Tarian keeps his cool and puts on his best schmoozing grin, saying, "Can I help you gentlemen?"

The Captain says, "Yes you can, Tarian Yestare."

Tarian looks blankly at him and says, "Who?"

The Captain shakes his head and says, "Don't play coy with me, we've been expecting you. It would be best if you and your burnt-orange-eyebrow friend came inside."

The Captain leads Tarian and Lo into The Dragon's Quill where they see several other soldiers waiting around in the foyer, and when they enter a private meeting area, they see their guild master, Emily Littlefinger speaking with an interesting-looking man. The Captain doesn't say anything, but directs Tarian to the long table in the meeting room.

He then turns to look at Lo and says, "This man's business is only with Tarian. You can wait in the foyer."

Tarian looks at the Captain, and then to the interesting man next to Emily and says, "What type of business is it?"

At the same time, Lo chimes in to say, "I'm his lover, I need to be with him!"

The Captain raises an eyebrow at Lo, and then looks to Tarian who grins.

He says, "Well I'm happy for you, but beside that fact, he requested that Tarian be alone. You will have to wait out here for him."

Tarian approaches the table, and notices that the man looks like an elf with pitch black skin and white hair: a drow. He is simply dressed in black and brown leather armor, and a gleaming scimitar at his side, but he can tell that the man is doing well for himself. Emily places a couple glasses on the table filled with a golden liquid before the drow. She then gives a hurried bow, and leaves the room after giving Tarian a hassled look.

Tarian gives an ingratiating smile to the drow and says, "Greetings, I am Tarian Yestare. I understand that you have been expecting me?"

The drow says, "Welcome, Mr. Yestare. We have matters to discuss…"

As he says this, he waves his hand to usher out the remaining soldiers that were in the room, leaving the drow and Tarian alone in the room.

Tarian gives the drow an ingratiating smile, "May I request my business partner to be in this meeting? We are equal in all matters concerning the Dragon's Quill and its clientele."

"I am aware that he is a business partner of the guild, but this matter does not concern your guild."

Tarian begins to show his irritation at being bossed around in his own guild and says, "May I ask your name?"

The drow seems unperturbed and says, "My name is Embros Tarl'Druskyn."

Tarian does not recognize the name from any of his circles, and he pays closer attention to the dress and manner of the drow try to glean something about him, but his dress and demeanor give nothing away, "I am a member of the Eldritch Knights of Avalon and the Three-Eyed Ravens: a not-for-profit information-gathering guild. We've had our eyes on your work, and in matters concerning your guild." Tarian says, "We operate perfectly legal here..."

Embrose pulls a rolled parchment from a pouch at his belt and cuts in with, "Oh yes you abide by the law… but would you mind telling me why your family's name is signed on every piece of our enemy's propaganda?"

The scroll is unrolled on the table to reveal a historical statement about the ancient days of Eorzea, signed by Milon Aldavar Yestare, similar to the few other pieces that the group had come across that had also been in the possession of the Organization.

Tarian sighs and says, "That is indeed the name of my father; he passed away long ago. Many of his workings were not made known to me, he died when I was still quite young."

Embrose pulls out a dagger, points it at Tarian, and says, "Tarian, I believe you. I can tell that truth is in your words. This still presents a problem for us. We want to know where they are getting these missives, and I'm sure you want to know why they bear your father's name. So, if we find this information first, we will contact you. In exchange, if you find it first, contact us."

Tarian nods as he listens to the proposal, and Embrose continues with, "Would you have any information regarding the group of people associated with this propaganda?"

Tarian sighs, aware of his predicament now that his name was out, and says, "I do not know anything about my father's death, but as for the masked organization we believe they are based out of Isidore, there is a man named Kyus at the center of it all, and his main objective is to resurrect a god named Abaddon. Do you have any other information you would like from our guild?"

The drow shakes his head and says, 'We have no need for further information, but I'm glad we could come to an understanding."

He empties his glass of rum with one swallow, and sets the glass on the table with a clunk, "It has been a pleasure Mr. _Yestare_."

He seems to take pleasure at using Tarian's last name, and continues the smile as he says, "There is one more thing. You will need a way to contact us if you do find any further information about the Organization and the origin of the propaganda."

He opens the door, and in flies a large crow who lands on the drow's shoulder with ease, "This crow is a good companion of mine named Three-Eyes."

The crow takes off from Embrose's shoulder and then settles on Tarian's shoulder. Tarian can tell that this is no ordinary crow, it is the Embrose's familiar, and despite the fact that it will not be able to communicate Tarian's actions to its master once they are a certain distance apart, its intelligence is still unnerving.

Embrose continues, "If you do find anything, relay it to the crow."

He begins to walk out of the room, but pauses at the door and says, "One more thing, from personal experience: It can come back to you, knowing too much."

With that, he walks out of the door, and the soldiers in the foyer follow in the drow's wake as he leaves the guild hall. Tarian breathes a sigh, and immediately seeks out Lo, who had found greener and more interesting pastures in a commoner's tavern called The Drunken Bumpkin. He invites Lo into his confidence, telling him everything that transpired in the room while Three-Eyes watches from a high vantage point in the rafters.


	32. War for Nordost: 2nd of Calistril

**2nd of Calistril: The Merrymead Festival**

 _ **Alex: Unconventional Recruits**_

On the outskirts of Ano Liosia, the soldiers are bivouacked in groups of tents with areas set up for training. Alex had a tent for himself in this new makeshift city, and rises early in the morning, ready for his first day of training his new recruits. He had met with the squads briefly over the previous days, watching them practice with another officer. Reminiscing over his trainees from the last couple days, he is happy that they have been hard-working and eager. On his first day leading them, his plan is to lead the small group through drills, and he leaves his tent walking with confidence towards the soldiers that have already starting their practice sessions under the careful eye of the recruits that he is molding into the leaders that they needed.

He comes to Poters Rigo first, and he sees that the gnome is teaching his soldiers the finer points of casting.

When Poters sees Alex approaching, he gives a salute that Alex returns, saying, "How do your troops fair?"

Poters nods and says, "Greetings Captain, the troops are well. They are getting their spells off fairly well."

Alex smiles with approval and says, "May the light watch over you" as he walks on to the next group of soldiers.

Standing on an archery range, he comes to Mora Nimrinde next. She greets him with a salute as well, and Alex begins to ask her how the trainees are faring. She nervously tells him that most are doing well, and Alex is about to compliment her on their abilities when he hears a loud blast that rings out from the far end of the range. Mora lets out a groan of frustration as she heads towards the source of the noise with Alex in tow. They come to a gnome with green hair and a black cavalier's shirt. She begins to scold him, giving the weapon he is holding wary glances.

The gnome lets out bursts of words to go with his exotic weapon, saying, "It's not my fault. It works just fine!"

The gnome is holding an instrument that prior to today, Alex had only heard of: a metal tube that fires using alchemical powder and iron balls as the projectile.

Mora gives the weapon a disgruntled look, and then turns to Alex saying, "This recruit insists on using a weapon that is a clear danger to the rest of the recruits!"

Alex takes a deep breath, seeing that it is time for him to intervene as the Captain, looks at the gnome and says, "Soldier what is your name?"

The gnome grins nervously and says in one quick spurt, "Hi! My name is Ronbox Piperface" quickly followed by "Call me Starlord" which he utters under his breath.

Alex looks blankly at him and says, "Come again?"

The gnome quickly follows with, "Maybe later?"

Alex shakes his head and says, "...Excuse me?"

The gnome sighs and says, "Sir, my name is Ronbox Piperface."

Alex finally comprehends the jittery quick-lipped gnome, points at the metal tube, and says, "So what do we have here?"

The gnome, happy and eager to show off his weapon says, "Sir, it's a pistol. I point it at the target and it goes _BANG_ and shoots! Wanna see?!"

Alex takes a step back from the overzealous gnome and says, "Is it safe?"

The gnome confidently pats his weapon and says, "This is my pistol, I've been improving it myself."

With that, he turns to the target, points the pistol, and fires a shot that hits the target perfectly.

Alex nods his approval and says, "That was a damn good shot soldier. How would you rate your accuracy?"

The gnome smiles and says, "About 17/20."

Alex looks impressed and says, "Can you do it again?"

The gnome packs another bullet and powder into the gun, takes aim, and fires another shot that hits the target, but barely.

Alex pats the gnome on the back and says, "Good show, thank you."

Alex begins to walk back down the range with Mora and says, "Well that recruit can hit the broadside of a barn with that pistol."

Mora shakes her head and says, "He's a peculiar fellow, and I do not trust that weapon…do we evaluate psyches before we give these recruits weapons?"

They make it halfway down the pitch when they hear an explosion from behind them, and a shout of, "Sorry!"

Alex and Mora quickly turn around and rush back to the gnome. They find Ronbox shaking slightly and looking singed with black powder on his face, and the recruits that were next to him have taken several steps away.

Mora is livid, and Alex says, "What happened?"

Ronbox says, "It's fine!"

Alex looks to Mora and says, "Can you handle this?"

Mora holds herself to attention and says, "Yes sir. I recommend you stand a little further away, though."

Alex shakes his head and leaves Mora shouting at the gnome about safety precautions.

Alex makes his way to Orin Hammerhaul, who is showing his recruits defense tactics, and asks how his recruits are doing. Another * _BANG*_ rings out, followed by more shouts from Mora.

Alex shouts from down the pitch, "Just give him a bow!"

Alex does make it to the rest of the recruits throughout the rest of the morning, which goes on without any further incidents.

 _ **Mastodon: Gorum Incarnate**_

Mastodon is also on the outskirts of town training in the morning. He runs several lengths of the city, makes impromptu obstacles to climb or jump, and finds a post that he can practice his swordplay on. He is satisfied with his morning training, and begins to walk back along the outskirts, simply taking in the soldier's activities and the business of the day. He comes across a large circle of muscle-bound warriors shouting at some spectacle in the center of a ring they've made. Mastodon is curious enough to find out what the commotion is about, and when he pushes his way forward, he finds two men sparring with blunt weapons in the middle of the ring. One is a young, lanky human and the other is a dwarf with a chunk missing from his nose, a long beard, and spiked breastplate. Mastodon watches as the youth charges forward at the dwarf, who sidesteps and then holds out a leg to trip up the boy, sending him to the ground. The dwarf laughs at him, which enrages the youth, who stands back up and begins swinging wildly at the dwarf. It leaves him open to an attack: the dwarf drives the pommel of his sword into the human's face, and blood bursts from his broken nose.

The dwarf laughs at him and says, "All right lad, time to step out. If you take any more blows to the face you'll be having some trouble bringing a lass to bed tonight!"

He lets out a hearty laugh at his own comment, and the youth leaves the ring guided by some of his comrades.

The dwarf shouts to the others gathered around and says, "I'm tired of fighting boys! Gorum demands a challenge!"

Mastodon watches the dwarf with his arms akimbo, and then watches the crowd of warriors hesitant to enter the ring. He is an unknown here in Ano Liosia, but there is no better time to change that than now.

He steps forward into the ring, and the dwarf nods his approval at Mastodon's figure, saying, "Now here is a challenge!" Mastodon begins looking around for a blunted weapon he can use for the match when the dwarf cuts in with, "We can fight with our edged weapons if you want."

Mastodon smiles and says, "Only if you accept death as a risk."

The dwarf grins and pulls out a flaming great sword from behind his back, and Mastodon follows suit and draws his own great sword.

They square up, and Mastodon lunges first, hitting him once while the dwarf blocks his second attack. Mastodon notices that his attacks seem to be hitting a magical shield around the dwarf, and he knows he is in for a fight. The dwarf finds an in, and hits Mastodon on the side. Mastodon feels a burst of flame lick at his body with the hit, and manages to block the second attack. Mastodon lands another attack on the dwarf while he sidesteps the second. On the dodge, the dwarf comes back with another hit on Mastodon, and Mastodon follows with his own attack.

The dwarf smiles at the combat, relishing the challenge and shouts, "For Gorum!"

He swings his great sword, and hits Mastodon so hard that he blacks out. When he comes to, he sees the dwarf holding his hands over him with a glowing light emanating from his body, restoring his health. The dwarf helps Mastodon to his feet, all the while smiling despite his own sustained injuries.

He spits blood and says, "My heart pounds! You have given me the fight I required. You would fit in very well in the lower reaches of Argos, you fight like a Berserker: brutal and without restraint. If you will, let me treat you to a drink friend, I can tell you about the teachings of Gorum. My name is Hein Mordstar, friend."

He tries to put an amicable arm around Mastodon's shoulder, and settles for simply slapping him on the lower back.

He points Mastodon out of the ring and says, "Join me at the tavern. It just so happens to be the holiday of Merrymead!"

They walk in the direction of the city, and make their way into the outskirts while Hein explains the holiday, "All the drinks made in the past year must be finished off to make way for the new drink!"

They step inside a tavern called The Canyon Wall, and see that the inside is rowdy: filled with soldiers and the locals, despite the fact that it is still morning.

Mastodon smiles and says, "I wonder how much I can drink…."

Hein grins and says, "Wanna find out?"

Hein orders two large mugs of ale, and hands one over to Mastodon.

He holds it up and says, "A toast. May Gorum guide your blade."

They both tip their mugs back, and finish them in seconds.

 _ **Roth: An Unexpected Visitor**_

It is late afternoon, and the city center is packed with soldiers, diplomats, and the revelers that are beginning to get into full festival mode. Roth opts to stay out of the way, and broods as he sits in the quiet of his room at the capitol building. The Pathfinders demanded that everyone in the group stay close, and so he found himself forced to stay in the thick of the city despite his protestations. He sits in a chair by the window making adjustments to his bowstring, looking out on the city as temporary tents are constructed for the Merrymead holiday when he hears a knock at his door.

Without leaving his chair he says, "Who is it?"

From behind the door he hears, "Elderville? It's Cygar. Can you open the door?"

Roth carefully places his bow on the table and makes his way to the door.

When he opens it, Cygar gives him a smile and says, "I hope this isn't a bad time, but something has come up, and you've been requested by a foreign diplomat."

Roth gives Cygar a puzzled look and says, "Are they in the building?"

Cygar nods and directs Roth out into the hallway saying, "Yes, he is just a few floors up."

Cygar leads Roth up a few flights of stairs to a lavishly decorated area, stopping in front of a closed door.

Cygar looks at Roth and says, "I will take my leave now. If I don't see you before our meeting, have a nice evening."

Roth breathes a heavy sigh, and knocks on the door. The door creaks open, and Roth sees his own father, Arvendlir, standing in the doorway.

He wears a smile as he says, "It's wonderful to see you, Damerothlin."

His father was the last person Roth was expecting to see behind the door, and he takes a second to recover from the shock before smiling warmly, "Father! I... I did not expect to see you here."

Arvendlir says, "It has been a long journey from Celahir Lossehelim; we arrived last night. I heard that you were here, and wanted to spend some time with you today."

Despite his age, Arvendlir has a youthful look. He is tall, even by elvish standards; he is an imposing figure. He gestures Roth to the hearth in the room, and takes a seat, welcoming his son to sit in the chair next to him.

There are two cups of a sweet, slightly warmed nectar drink that they each take, and Arvendlir settles back in his chair and says, "It has been a long time, Roth. Tell me about your wanderings of the world."

Roth's manner is not as easy as his father's; he sits stiffly in his chair and tells his story to his father, trying to keep it as short as he can without leaving out any significant pieces. Arvendlir, meanwhile, listens attentively, and asks occasional questions about Roth's encounters.

When Roth finishes his story, his father nods and says, "When you left, you set out on a journey to find yourself. Do you believe you have found out who you are?"

Roth takes a deep breath and says, "Father, I believe I have."

Arvendlir looks carefully at Roth and says, "I see."

He gets up from his chair and walks to the window, looking out on the city as he says, "There is no attempting to talk you into leaving here with me, is there?"

Roth senses something in his father's questioning and says, "What is going on here?"

Arvendlir looks seriously at Roth and says, "There is a darkness that is consuming our world. Our people have left this world before in times like these; we may leave again, crossing over to Sovyrian. Would you leave to join us if it comes to that?"

Roth looks into his cup, thinking about the choice that was thrown upon him.

Slowly he says, "You pose a very difficult question. I would have to think about it… but my feelings tell me to stay. What we are doing...it is bigger than myself...bigger than just our people. The group of people I have fallen in with are..."

Here, he thinks of Lo and Tarian and their gold-mongering antics, "...at different odds and goals at times, but…"

He runs his hands through his hair as Myne surfaces in his thoughts, guiding him through a dense and snowy forest, "...others are of the same mind and heart as me."

His father nods with understanding at the difficult choice and says, "Damerothlin, you are more of a leader than you realize. You fight for a noble cause, and you represent our people well. We currently scout the borders north of our lands, and we see much Isidorian activity. The times are dark, and I may leave you. If you do mean to stay and fight, it is only proper that you are equipped in the manner that befits your house."

As he says these last words, Arvendlir opens a large traveling chest, and removes a beautiful piece of chain mail armor with leather coverings and the Elderville symbol engraved throughout.

He looks proudly at the armor and says, "This has been in the family of Eldervilles for generations. I pass it on to you."

Roth is speechless as he admires the armor, finally able to utter a grateful, "Thank you" after a few moments of silence.

His father smiles, saying, "I would like to spend some time with you, let's go get some of this local Solarian food. There are some young folk of your age eager to see you again too."

Arvendlir opens the door to his room, and leads Roth downstairs to the main hall of the capitol. There, three other elves of Roth's age are waiting, and Roth smiles as he recognizes all of them. Adokul Silentread- a fighter and acting guard to Arvendlir during his travels looks up to see them approaching and stands, his long hair rests over his shoulders, and gleams like fine yellow silk, his eyes are narrow and he carries a stern look. A second elf, Alimorel Moonshadow is standing nearby, transfixed by a painting of a broad-shouldered general of Solaris and his griffin mount from ages past. Her wide eyes are of a light blue hue, with light silver hair cut short and disheveled. Alimorel and Adokul are elves that Roth grew up with, and he remembers his younger years with them fondly. Roth's sense of mistrust overtakes these thoughts, and he begins to wonder if his father had not specifically chosen his two childhood companions to accompany him, hoping to sway Roth's decision to leave. A third middle-aged elf named Ricros Gladomain looks on at a distance as the two younger elves smile at Roth and begin to walk towards him, arms held out in welcome. Ricros acts as Arvendlir's personal assistant, dressed in plain elven robes with the signature stitch work of their long-lived race. He carries a wooden staff, the top looks like a large flower bud.

Roth grins as he embraces the friends from his youth, and gives Ricros a respectful nod as well. It has been many years since he last saw his friends, and this reunion was a welcome reminder of home. Roth hears a sudden pounding from down the hallway, and turns in time to absorb the tackle and crash as he is pinned to the floor under the paws of a 200 pound, four-foot-tall hound with green fur speckled with brown spots, oddly elven features with tapered ears, and a long-curled tail. The creature begins to lick Roth's face excitedly, and Roth can do nothing but attempt to breathe beneath the onslaught.

He hears Alimorel scold her animal companion, "Korra, you're making a scene in front of everyone!"

Korra, as Alimorel refers to her, is a cooshee - an elven dog often used as a guard, but in this case, Alimorel was a druid, and Korra was her companion. Roth wrestles the huge dog off him, avoiding the worst of the slobber, and gives Korra a few scratches behind the ears when he gets to his feet, trying to acquiesce to the huge cooshee's greeting and demands for attention.

Arvendlir smiles at them, "Roth has agreed to join us for some lunch. Let's see what we can find."

The group wanders the bustling streets of Ano Liosia, Korra out in front parting the way through the masses. Adokul, Roth and Alimorel following and chatting up a storm on what the three have been up to these last few years. Ricros and Arvendlir trail a bit behind as Ricros goes over the ambassador's schedule for the coming day. In a burst of excitement Alimorel points out an elaborate establishment just off the main road. Like the other buildings, it is made of worked stone, but the stonework of this place is fashioned in swooping, curved designs made to look like the organic growth of the wilderness. The entrance is a great arch made to resemble a mighty tree root, and when they pass underneath it they find themselves in a place that very much resembles home. The air inside is rich and full of the smell of wildflowers. Trees spring up from the ground and fill the space, their branches being used to hold upper floors, stairs, and walkways. Everything from the bar counter to the tables all seem to be organic; grown to function as a part of the establishment. Even the lights were some kind of luminescent algae.

The place was full of mostly elves, with a few halflings, half-elves, and other folk who prefer the sanctity of the wilderness. An auburn-haired half-elf greets them at the door. She smiles widely, showing off her dimples as she asks how many were in the party, and then shows them to their table, even allowing for the large elf dog to accompany them. Complimentary elvish tea is set at the table in small wooden cups, and the auburn-haired half-elf, who introduces herself as Sandy, gives the group a few minutes to decide on their order, walking off to attend to another table. The friends chatter on about their childhood together in the forests of Embaracion, while Arvendlir remains silent, sipping his tea. Sandy returns to a laughing group of elves, something about Roth's first encounter with a Green Forest Lizard. After taking their orders, Adokul and Alimorel offer to purchase a few hardier drinks for the table. They get up and wander over to the bar to inspect the house offerings.

A minute or so passes with Roth and Arvendlir sitting silently at the table, when Roth finally speaks up, "Father, is this some strategy of yours to get me to return with you to Celahir Lossehelim?"

Arvendlir looks at Roth and smiles as he takes another sip of his tea and lowers it back down onto a small plate.

He folds his hands in his lap and says, "Roth, they came of their own accord. Like you they are young and adventurous, and jumped at the chance to see the lands in the west. It was just our good fortune that you happened to be in Ano Liosia while we were here."

Roth looks down, a little embarrassed that he would distrust his father so, and he continues, "You have said your piece about not wanting to come back at this time, my son. You are a man now, and have made your own decision to follow the path before you. I respect this, and will not pressure you any further on the matter. Now, hold your head up, and let us enjoy the day with family and friends, it looks as if Adokul and Alimorel have procured some interesting drink."

Sure enough, the two were heading back to the table with several bottles of varying labels and wide smiles on their faces.

Adokul pours drinks into wooden cups, and Alimorel makes a toast, "To the elves, the everlasting protectors."

As Roth recalls the battlefield at Avalon, a pained look crosses his face, and amends the toast, "To any that stand, and fall to protect us all."

Arvendlir nods his approval as he holds his glass to the amended toast, then downs his first drink in one gulp with faraway eyes.

When he comes back to himself, he looks around at the table and says, "According to Roth's tales, he has already seen more of what is to come than we have been able to scout from afar. What he is doing with his small band of new compatriots might change the face of Nordost, and he does so with many races represented."

Arvendlir pours himself another glass as the others down their drinks, and refills them as they are set down, "One more for Roth, and then I will let you get back to your childhood reminiscing over lunch."

They hold their glasses high, and Arvendlir says, "To Damerothlin. May his arrows always find their marks."

 _ **Lo: The High Life**_

It is late afternoon for Lo, and he is already tipsy from spending the earlier hours of Merrymead in a tavern pre-gaming. Hoping for more action, he heads to the central square where he is not disappointed. The taverns in the square have already erected tents outside their spaces, and there is an influx of people eager to celebrate. The atmosphere is light and festive, and he can tell that he is not the only one that has already partaken. He takes a deep breath and smiles, excited for what the night will have in store for him. In celebration, he casts Flare up to the sky, and begins to play his lute. It doesn't take long for him to attract common folk and soldiers eager for a song, and he makes two gold in short time from his performance. Through the crowd he sees a tall man dressed in purple and a flamboyant hat approach: William the Violet Minstrel.

He grins when he sees Lo with his crowd of admirers, and makes his way forward, saying, "Lothar, I thought that might have been you. I was wondering if I could steal a moment of your time?"

Lo gives a merry, "Sure!" and puts away his lute for the time being.

William excitedly claps him on the shoulder and says, "How about we discuss it over a bottle of wine in The House of Two Dawns?"

Lo lifts a colorful eyebrow to the invitation, and William gives Lo another grin and says, "It's a _gentleman's_ establishment for members only."

Lo allows William to take the lead, and they wander through the streets, finally making their way down a side street and stopping in front of a plain-looking stone building. Lo notices that it is completely featureless, lacking windows and any other embellishments. William gives a complicated series of knocks at the wooden door, and after a moment, it slowly opens inward to admit them. The doorman carefully closes the door behind them, and Lo takes in a plush ballroom reception area. Near the entrance, a young woman sits behind a tall desk. She is tall, with long dark hair and wearing black makeup around her eyes and on her lips. Her dark purple dress fits tightly to her body, and she holds her chin high: Lo can tell that she is a powerful woman. William smiles at the sight of her, and when she sees William she gets down from her seat and approaches. She gets uncomfortably close to William, welcoming him with a purr in her voice, sets her body against his, and runs her long fingers up his cheek, then smacks him hard in the face.

She loses the purr and says, "You've got some nerve coming back here after the shit you pulled! You completely botched that job!"

William recovers from the slap magnificently, saying, "I followed the contract, plus now is not the time for that. I have brought a guest," and he gestures to Lo.

Lo had been exposed to much in the ways of sex and all its trappings, but he began to think that even he was entering some deep, untouched waters that this establishment could offer. He feels a surge of excitement about how this day would go for him as he looks the young woman up and down before she turns her attention to him when William gestures.

Lo puts on his best 'come-hither' smile for the woman as she brings her purr back and says, "William, introduce me to your copper-colored eyebrow friend, he is most exotic."

William is pleased to see her so diverted and into Lo and says, "This is Lothar Eisler. Lo, this is the Exquisite Master of The Two Dawns, Lady Celine."

As William does the introductions, Lady Celine eyes Lo up and down, making a circle around him and taking in his features with pleasure, "This is quite a fine young man that you have brought to me," and begins to run her fingers through the ties in Lo's tunic.

William gives a little cough to interrupt her before she takes Lo's shirt strings out and says, "Sorry, but we have business to discuss."

Lady Celine pauses in her act, and pouts her dark lips out and says, "Pity…. perhaps you can slip by later and see me."

She withdraws from Lo and approaches a man who appears to be some sort of assistant that is standing nearby. He is an attractive, slightly built man dressed in tight leather pants and boots, and when she approaches him she whispers something to him, to which he nods.

She then turns back to William and says, "Your usual spot will be open and ready."

The assistant opens the door leading into the rest of the ballroom and says, "This way, please."

He leads Lo and William down a hallway, past curtained private rooms, and down a flight of stairs. As they walk towards the entrance to a large room, Lo smells exotic aromas emanating from it, and they emerge into a large ballroom. Lo drinks in the pleasures around him: the room is filled with incense and music, and on the center stage two young females, one half-elf and one human, are entangled in an erotic dance and moving in time to the music; all races, shapes, and sizes are provocatively dressed while either dancing or serving drinks; and curtained rooms along the walls give privacy to those that need it for their personal pleasures. William smiles at Lo's enjoyment and ushers him to an alcove with a round table and booth seating. They both sit, and a female server wearing a leather corset and little else approaches with a bottle of wine and two glasses. She pours wine for each of them, giving them a smile before pulling a plush red curtain closed behind her, leaving the two of them in the booth in soft darkness save for a candle on the table that gives off a yellow glow.

William takes his glass and sits back in his seat, savoring the wine before looking at Lo and saying, "Alright my friend, we shall conduct business before we get to the pleasure. If we gorged ourselves in the pleasure first the business would surely be forgotten. Lothar, as a man with ties to the muses, I would like to ask you a question: have you ever heard of the _Song of the Goddess_?"

Lo shakes his head, unfamiliar with the song.

William nods and continues, "Not surprising; there are few who have. Those who have had access to the Avalon archives and have sought it out are the only ones. There is an ancient text from the temples of Azlant that speaks of a song sung during the war between gods. It was used by the forces of light to give them the strength and courage to face the forces of evil and chaos. These forces they speak of include two names: Eden and Abaddon. Names that seem to be coming out frequently as of late. I tell you this because I believe with the direction we are headed and the players currently on the board, it may be wise for us to keep our eyes and ears open. Like I said, the only thing I have is a mentioning of it, for all we know it could not exist at all, perhaps just a story told during the age of Azlant. But if the song does exist, and it were to be played again, imagine how powerful it could be!"

Despite William's obvious delight in diversions, Lo could tell that his dedication to the Pathfinders had brought him to the point where he would seek out legends, or those that could help make those legends real. Lo nods, taking in the information and giving William every promise to keep an eye and ear out for such a legend.

William sighs, happy in the knowledge that there was another adventurer with the bend for music seeking the same means to the end and says, "I'm glad for that, but I could have told you this piece of information anywhere. Mainly, I wanted to bring you here."

A grin crosses his face as he pulls back the curtain to open them to the sights and sounds of The Two Dawns, makes a wide gesture that he was in his little spot of Elysium and says, "Now for the pleasure part! As you can probably guess, this place can give you more than just wine. Is there anything I could buy for you?"

Lo shares the grin and sighs as he thinks about what he wants, and a sight catches his eye at one of the smaller stages which he points to and says, "Perhaps that halfling dancer over there."

William nods and claps his hands together to get the attention of a server who attends their table, "Halfling dancers! Bring us your wares!"

A male and transgender halfling dancer, both venerable in age climb onto their table, and they close the curtains behind them. The two halflings produce a white powdery substance that they pour onto the table in small amounts in front of William and Lo and then begin to gyrate on the table in a dance for them. Lo knows that the substance is likely some kind of Absinthe or Opiate, and dives right into the powder before leaning back and enjoying the show. A short time later he passes out on the table from the powder's effects, and is ridden by a male halfling as he sleeps it off.

 _ **Myne & Poppet: Girl's Night Out**_

From the confines of her room in the capital building, Myne watches as tents are being erected outside, and perks up at the thought of breaking free from the gloom that had settled on the group. She takes a handful of gold out of her money pouch, tries to run her fingers through her hair, and then runs out of her room with Rauros on her heels to find Poppet.

When Poppet answers her door, she sees an excited half-elf and asks, "What's up?"

Myne smiles and says, "Let's go down and see what's up in the square. They're erecting tents for some kind of celebration!"

Poppet smiles and nods, retreating into her room to grab some gold and adjust her skirts before grabbing her cloak off the door.

Ellete had been napping on Poppet's bed, but at the sound of the commotion Ellete wakes up and squeals, "I'm coming too!"

In the capital square, they find out that the celebration is Merrymead, and the tents are extensions of taverns that plan on pouring drinks all night long. They see the ritzier taverns in the square, and they both decide they did not want to spend that much gold on their pleasure tonight, so Poppet takes the lead and they make their way through the streets to some more reasonable establishments. On the way, Myne excitedly tells Poppet the story of when she had her first taste of alcohol just three months prior (at Kassen's Coming-of-Age Celebration), and gives Poppet a grin as she tells her that it did not end well for them. Poppet sighs inwardly at the inexperienced but eager youth in front of her, and pushes the door open to a tavern called The West Wind Woes.

It is approaching dinner time, and outside the sky is dusky. When they walk into the tavern they are bombarded by the cacophony of a full bar with lots of drinks being drunk. Men shout and laugh at each other's jokes, there is the clink of pint glasses coming together in cheers, and an occasional song being belted out. The bar seems to be standing room only, but Poppet spies an open seat on the far end of the bar, and they make their way to it. As Poppet is about to sit down, Ellete tugs at her to stop, and looks down into the booth, finding a gnome with green hair enjoying a drink and barely clearing the height of the table.

He looks up at her and says, "You just sat on me!"

Poppet apologizes profusely to the gnome who seems to take it in stride.

Myne giggles and says, "Do you come here often?"

The gnome seems to spill out his reply saying, "Do you like to party?"

Poppet says, "Do you mind if we sit with you? My name is Poppet, and this is Myne."

Myne gives a little wave to the gnome as he moves over to allow the girls to have a seat next to him and he says, "My name is Ronbox Piperface, but you can call me Starlord."

Myne giggles again and asks him what he's drinking as they get comfortable, and the gnome replies, "I'm currently drinking mead, but I can't taste it any more…"

A barmaid approaches them with a tray of drinks and the look of someone that will not wait for someone that lingers on their drink choice and says, "What's your pleasures ladies and gent?"

Myne is excited to start out her evening right and blurts out, "We'll have a round of your best drink!"

The barmaid nods and says, "That would be Old Law Whiskey love, I'll be around with three glasses in a mo.'."

From the table, they hear Ellete shout, "Four glasses!"

The barmaid disappears again into the sea of people, and returns a short time later with a very old-looking bottle and four glasses. She pours them each a glass, and Poppet opens her coin purse to pay the 25 gold for the first round. Myne excitedly takes up her glass and toasts them all in Gozreh's name and for those that fell in Avalon, and downs her whiskey in a couple gulps. The others follow suit, and they all feel the warm and numbing golden liquid hit their stomachs like velvet.

Ronbox says, "That was a good drink!" and it is clear that the gnome and Myne feel the effects of the rich drink most, while Ellete and Poppet manage to hold their liquor far better.

After enjoying the ambiance for a little while, they decide they should move on and experience what another tavern would offer them, and Myne invites Ronbox to join them, who delightedly accepts, especially since they're buying.

 _ **Mastodon: Bouncer & Booze Holder**_

In the Canyon Wall Tavern, Mastodon and Hein have been drinking the afternoon away, and night is upon them. Not to his surprise, Mastodon only feels slightly tipsy. The tavern is getting progressively rowdy, especially as more soldiers join in the drinking.

One particularly drunk human stumbles over to Mastodon, looking him up and down as if sizing him for a fight and says, "Hey, I saw you two dueling earlier. I bet I could take you!"

He puts his arm out as if to arm wrestle, and Mastodon lets out a chuckle.

The drunk continues, saying, "You're nothing without your big sword, so let's see it!"

Mastodon puts out his arm, more eager to just be left to his drink than to actually want the challenge, and when they lock for the match, Mastodon pulls him so hard that it launches the man out of the tavern door with a crash. On the outside, the man comes flying through the door, and lands on Ronbox as Myne, Poppet, and the gnome were about to enter. Mastodon comes out, and he smiles at the sight of his companions, then down at the man passed out in the dirt.

From underneath the man they hear, "Um, there's a very large man on top of me!"

Myne helps to pull the man off Ronbox, and from inside they hear the cheers for Mastodon's magnificent triumph. Hein comes out to celebrate with Mastodon, and they all make introductions to each other's' new bar mates. They decide that this tavern may have gotten a bit too rowdy for them, and make their way closer to the capital where they were likely to find a tamer drinking establishment. They find one halfway to the city center that they drop in for a round of dwarven stout that Hein pays for. It is dark out, likely around 9pm, and as they stumble their way to another bar, the gnome mutters and slurs something about how the next one should be his last.

 _ **Alex, Roth, & Tarian: Dinner for Three & A Tame Night**_

After releasing the troops from their training and duties for the night, Alex makes his way into the city to find food and drink. He feels the celebratory atmosphere, but wants to steer clear of trouble. The thought of running into one of his superiors or a recruit is enough to have him wanting nothing more than a fine meal. In the central square, he finds the Hippogriff's Talon: an upscale tavern and restaurant with seating outside and in. Many officers and diplomats are patronizing the tavern for dining and a drink. As he approaches, he sees Roth and another elf seated at a table outside and smiles.

Roth and the other elf stand, and Roth shakes his hand as he says, "Alex. This is my father, Arvendlir, ambassador from Celahir Lossehelim. Father, this is Alexander Shieldheart, a paladin of the Anian army and one of my companions."

Arvendlir shakes Alex's hand, and says, "Please join us for dinner, we've been out since lunch, and Roth's friends have just left to see to their duties. We plan to be here for the night if you are available. I'm sure Roth does not want to hear me drone on about politics."

Alex smiles at the invitation, finds his way to the gated patio entrance and takes up an empty chair at their table. When Alex sits, Roth gives a heartfelt exclamation about Alex's role in the battle at Avalon, and how eager he is to have Alex back from the darkness that had consumed him.

Over at the Golden Sun, Tarian is settling in for a private night to himself, and he takes a walk outside the bar with his glass. He sees Roth, Alex, and another elf across the square at the other restaurant, and Roth catches his eye. Not wanting to ruin his quiet solitude, he makes the motion to Roth to pretend he didn't see Tarian, and Roth nods and obliges. He goes back into the Golden Sun, striking up conversations with diplomats and getting himself another glass of rose wine to enjoy.

 _ **Lo: Conga Line**_

When Lo comes to, he finds himself shirtless on the main stage of The Two Dawns while a male halfling does shots of liquor off his chest. Many of the others around him are in nothing but their undergarments, or less. William is on the stage dancing with a few others in nothing but his hat and a bottle in his hand.

He sees Lo get up and says, "Lothar, buddy, we're taking this party to the streets!"

Lo takes the proffered bottle from William and downs a good portion of it before passing it to a half-naked half-elf next to him. Moving purely by momentum, William, Lo, and half the ballroom's patrons make their way to the street. They stumble through the streets, right, then forward in a conga line, passing bottles of booze up and down the line and gaining more revelers as they go. They stop at a tavern, and see that it is the West Wind Woes. They push their way inside and see that it is standing room only. Lo makes his way to the bar and decides to try to hit on the first person he finds. He finds a female cat-folk sipping a drink, and starts to pet her fur. She seems to be really into it, and starts to purr.

Lo gives her his most charming smile and says, "You wanna join our party?"

She gives a little moan that sounds like a * _rowr*_ before saying, "I want whatever you're having."

 _ **Mastodon, Myne, & Poppet: Just One More!**_

The rag-tag group comprised of the new agents of Gorum (Hein and Mastodon) and of Girl's Night Out (Poppet, Myne, and Ronbox) make their way to the center of the city, and to the bar called the East Wall Tavern, situated in the middle of a very busy street. People are spilling out of the tavern, but the group make their way inside. It is standing room only, and despite the tipsiness of the gnome and half-elf, they prepare themselves for another beverage. Mastodon makes a path to the bar, and the rest follow in his impressive wake.

He asks what their special drink is, and they reply with "Rumboozles."

Mastodon orders the crew a round, and they all pony up. Ellete, Myne, and Ronbox look completely inebriated, and Myne has taken to referring to Ronbox as Starlord, and asking Rauros if she should have another drink while Ronbox keeps exclaiming that this drink might be his last. Mastodon and Hein are champions, holding their liquor as would be expected of their stature while Poppet is leaving the group to wonder where she's putting all that alcohol, since she seems to be holding herself together for the most part.

They move on to another bar called the Faerie Sun where they actually manage to get a booth to sit at. Myne asks for the house specialty, which turns out to be Applejack, and when she asks the price she gets confused trying to figure out the price for their group and decides to just give a gold coin and buy nearly the entire bar a drink.

As the drinks are passed around, Ronbox oozes under the table saying something like, "I don't think I can do another one…."

Myne slurs in mock urgency, "Don't go towardsch the light! I'm buying Applejack!"

At those words, the gnome perks up above the level of the table while shouting, "I'm back! Nevermind, I'm good!"

Mastodon buys a second round of Applejack that they all drink as well. Ellete has passed out on the table, and is scooped up by Poppet and deposited in her robes. When they get up to leave around midnight, Myne and Ronbox can barely walk, Mastodon only feels a little buzzed, and Poppet is maintaining the composure of a teetotaler. They decide to head towards the central square, since this seems to be where the rest of the city that is still standing is congregating.

 _ **Finishing off the Night**_

Alex, Roth, and Arvendlir are enjoying each other's company well into the night. They have had a good meal and good conversation about politics, the state of the lands and what to do for the future; the kind of conversation Roth was hoping to avoid, but given his table mates he realizes he could not avoid it. From their vantage point on the patio seating of the Hippogriff's Talon, they can see most of central square before them. From down the street, they begin to hear the sounds of chanting and shouting, and a large, rowdy crowd comes into view. A half-naked Lo is leading the pack in a conga line, passing bottles up and down the line to sustain the group of revelers that are equally or less clothed. They push into the square and squash any dignity that was being maintained for such a highbrow district. Lo gets out his lute and begins to play, and the crowd begins to dance and sway, and they find various opportunities for making out in awkward places in awkward positions while consuming more alcohol.

From a similar direction, they see another group approaching: Mastodon is supporting the weight of a wobbly Myne, a gnome is riding her bear, and a tiny glow that must be Poppet's familiar is asleep on the witch's head. They seem to be making their way for the capital building and their rooms, but as they approach, Lo sees them and welcomes them to the impromptu block party. They enthusiastically join in, making their way through the crowd to find a spot to hunker down when Myne spots Alex at a patio table. She had not been able to talk to him since the letter in Avalon, and when she sees him she shouts out his name and runs/stumbles towards the table. She tries to vault the little patio fence and misses horribly, but Roth and Alex reach out their arms to each catch one side of her before she lands on the table. Myne reaches for Alex, who already has her by one arm, and seats herself on his lap, crying into his chest in apology and relief at his redemption among incoherent sobs. Alex reaches his arms around Myne and hugs her tightly, reassuring her in her drunken state. There is no reason to bother trying to talk rationally to her, so he does the best he can for her until she is able to lift herself off him with the help of Poppet, who had been standing by with a helpless smile. Ronbox meanwhile had made himself scarce by burying himself into Rauros, hopeful that his superior wouldn't notice him. Poppet helps Myne back over the patio fence, giving Alex another smile and saying, "You look better, Alex," and the two of them make their way to their rooms, with Ronbox still hiding with Rauros. As the girls turn to leave, Mastodon comes out onto the patio carrying drinks, and seats himself with Alex, Roth, and Arvendlir to enjoy a couple more brews. Alex politely declines the drink, and Mastodon shrugs and adds it to his own drink pile.

When Mastodon sees the girls leaving, his protection duty kicks in and he decides to ensure that they make it back to their rooms safely, and excuses himself momentarily, following the girls to the capitol building. He ends up being Myne's main force of locomotion and support, as she turns out to be too much for Poppet to handle on her own. With a grin on his face he escorts the hot mess of Myne into her room, with Poppet, Rauros and Ronbox all coming in her room to see her safely in bed. Myne seems mostly oblivious to what is going on around her, and completely accepting of whoever ends up crashing on her floor. Poppet, on the other hand, is well aware that her inebriated compatriot may be completely willing for anything, but she's too far gone and too naive for the males to be in the room any longer. She thanks Mastodon for the escort and sees him out of the room. Since he has a couple drinks waiting for him in the courtyard, he makes his way back outside, shaking his head at the events of the day.

Meanwhile, Ronbox oozes off Rauros and prepares to make himself comfy by curling up next to the bear, but when Poppet turns and catches him, she gives a firm, "Out! You and the bear can sleep in the hall!"

Ronbox looks dejected, but does not argue and he and Rauros amble out of the room and curl up in the hallway.

Across the courtyard, Tarian hears the commotion of Lo's block party, and steps out on the patio again to take a peek. He sees lots of half-naked partiers, and decides to join in the fray.

He wades through the sea of bodies until he finds Lo, half-naked and playing his lute while standing in a fountain, and says, "I see you're dressed for the occasion."

They party the night away, with Lo not making it back to his own room, and Tarian taking home the adventurous cat-lady that Lo wrangled earlier.


	33. War for Nordost: 3rd-10th of Calistril

**3rd of Calistril: Rest and Recovery**

The morning is not warmly greeted by most of the inhabitants of Ano Liosia. The Merrymead Festival has certainly taken its toll, and most of the city is sleeping it off.

Lo's eyes open as light from a window intrudes on his rest, and he gives a groan as he evaluates the damage of the night before. His head was killing him, and he could not remember where he ended up. When he sits up, he realizes he is in someone's office: he is laid out on a desk, and he sees papers and books around him. The door opens, and the Anian general walks in. He stops when he sees Lo, buck-naked on his desk.

Lo tries a quick bluff to get out of trouble by saying, "Oh hey! I work here."

The general looks at him startled and disbelieving, saying, "Where are your clothes?"

Lo looks down, and then back up awkwardly and says, "They're in the wash."

The general stares at the young man with neon green eyebrows and shakes his head, "Maybe you should just leave now."

Lo tries out his charm and says, "You wanna come with me?"

The general shakes his head and points to the door. When Lo walks out of the office, he realizes that he is on one of the main floors of the capitol building. He carefully makes his way out of the building, managing to procure bits of clothing on his way out, and heads back to his room to take the rest of the day off.

Ronbox wakes up with an equally bad headache and a lack of memory about the night before. He is curled up on the floor in a hallway, and there is a rather large bear snoring next to him. He leaves the questions of 'where' behind when he realizes that the sun is fully up, and that he has missed roll call. That intrusive realization has him on his feet, and he rushes out to the barracks. He manages to make it there undetected, and after a quick refresher, grabs his gun and heads to the shooting range where Mora's disgruntled shouts mixed with his shots leave his head echoing in pain. Meanwhile, Myne's day of herb gathering is horrid since she has a splitting headache, and whenever she bends over to collect something her head screams at her for it.

 **4th-10th of Calistril:** **Tactics & Preparations**

 _ **The Seven Make Their Move**_

Leading up to the 10th of Calistril, the group had spent their time trying to make some gold by working in whatever capacity they could. Myne gathered herbs, earning 130 gold, Poppet did fortune-telling, earning her 215 gold, and Tarian managed his guild. The days went by quickly, and before they knew it the day finally arrives for the group to assemble at the capitol building with the Pathfinders and various military officials to determine the course of action with Isidore and the Organization.

They all gather around a large war table in a meeting room in the capital building, and when they are all assembled, Cygar stands up and says, "Everyone is here. Thank you all for being a part of this meeting. We've called you all here to plan our future campaign; our pursuit of Avalon's crystal and the Organization's leader, Kyus. In order for you to better discuss your courses of action, it is best that I fill you in on what has happened."

He pulls out a large map of the continent, and lays it out for the group to see. They see familiar territories that they had traversed, but they also see far to the east where they had never been, and they see the expansive seas surrounding the area as well.

He points to Ano Liosia and says, "The military forces of the Allied nations are mostly gathered here in Ano Liosia, and have made their plans for what their forces shall attempt. We have no say in their maneuvers, but knowing their plans will help determine the Pathfinders role...and more specifically the role this group of seven will play."

He pauses, nodding to the group assembled to acknowledge the importance of their considerable contribution, and continues, "The main forces plan to move east to Gangai where there are reports that they are under siege by Isidorian forces. When they have been pushed back, they will continue north to Onogoro to bring forces to the dwarven resistance that is trying to take back their capital."

Cygar looks directly at the group when he indicates where the group's choices lay: "The Pathfinders are aiming for two main objectives: build more allied forces or locate the crystal and Kyus. With the latter, all we know is that they traveled east, but there are theories on where they might be headed, and I'll speak on that in a minute. For the former, there is the barbarian nation of Argos to the north, east of Ani, and the tribes have recently been brought together under the rule of a new king. They would be a good ally to have, helping protect the western cities from a northern attack. It is possible that if they could be persuaded to join our cause, they could also aid us in our attempt to take back the dwarven capital to their south. Another possibility for your small group would be to infiltrate the dwarven capital under cover to aid the resistance from within. Another option would be to travel with the main forces and aid Gangai (and Kish in general). Then again, we come back to the crystal and Kyus: you could bypass all of that, and take a boat around the continent to directly infiltrate Isidore itself under cover and attempt to locate the crystal and take down Kyus. We assume this is where he would be headed, but we really have no idea where he may currently be hiding. All we do know is that the dragon was last spotted heading east."

He sits back and lets the group take in the map and their options.

Roth crosses his arms, and speaks first, "Where is the capital of Isidore? Your map only shows the most western part of the continent."

Cygar sighs and says, "The capital of Isidore is known to be on the eastern side of the continent, we are working hard to try to acquire maps of the rest of Isidore."

Tarian says, "Would we even be able to make landfall on the shores of Isidore without being spotted or looking out of place?"

Cygar says with some hesitation, "The common folk of the north are more loyal to the Isidorians than those on the southern shores. They are a halfling population that are forced to work as slaves, and may very well welcome infiltrators...I also forgot to mention the elven front on our continent, which has scouts watching their borders to the northern edge of the territory for movement, but that they have not been overrun yet. They seem wary to get involved in this fight unless they are forced. At the moment, they choose to protect their borders, picking off Isidorian scouts that push too close."

The group looks at the map, and they begin to discuss their options. There is much worry about directly and openly heading into Isidore, but they also had no clear solution to which direction would best suit their abilities. They were worried about their chances of success by diplomacy with the barbarians, and if it did indeed fail, or if they were greeted by Isidorian forces that had already secured the barbarian's loyalty that it would cost them their time and their lives. They felt that entering the dwarven resistance would not go well since nearly half their party was elves.

As they talked of making the march to Gangai, Alex stands up with his impatience evident, draws his dagger and says, "Enough of this. I say we strike at the head of this snake!" and brings his dagger down hard on the Isidorian continent on the map.

The group falls into silence, looking at Alex with awe and respect for his determination. They concede that their other options are not without fault, but some of the group clearly fear the sea voyage that looks like it could take many weeks. The uncertainty of the dragon's location also has them worried, but they also know that there is no better place for them to hide than back in their own kingdom.

The group take one last look at the map, and Tarian hesitantly says, "...by sea it is?"

The group all stands to leave the meeting, and Cygar ends by saying, "I will make contacts to procure a ship for you. It will leave from Morrona, and I will have more details for you when I have a ship. In the meantime, you are free to do whatever you wish. Expect to have at least 12 days before the ship launches, you will need time to make the travel."

 _ **Myne's Worry**_

After seeing the tiny dot that is Kassen on the war map, Myne becomes intensely homesick, worrying that she will never see her family again, and worrying for the state of the town in general. She immediately makes her way to her room, and decides to try to scry on her mother for the first time. She had felt the magic of the spell pouring through her, and it called to her to use it on what meant the most to her: home and family. She pours water from her jug into the wash basin, and prays to Gozreh as she concentrates on her mother. Despite the fact that the windows are closed and the room is still, she begins to see ripples in the water and then an image begins to take form. The form becomes sharper and the ripples fade, leaving an image of Myne's mother working over a hearth, stirring a kettle perched over the flames. Myne breathes a sigh of relief at the sight of her mother doing something so mundane, but then her breath catches as she realizes that she does not recognize the home that her mother is standing in. The room is dimly lit, and the walls are made of simple wood, it appears to be the living area of a small house. Around the room Myne sees the faces of the Denikin family, townsfolk that live in the village of Kassen. She recognizes Joseph the father, Krista the mother, and their three children. Myne continues to watch her mother as she pours out stew into bowls and hands them to the children.

They sit down at a small wooden table and begin to eat, and Myne is puzzled by the scene, _Why would mother be in someone else's household making the family's meal? Joseph and Krista look well, so do the children._

Suddenly, a rush of air forces one of their windows open, causing one of the thin panes of glass to shatter. Myne jumps a little from being startled, and she watches the children scramble under the table, one spilling his stew in the process. Brynn and Krista try and comfort the children as Joseph quickly grabs a hatchet and moves toward the window in a cautious fashion. Myne strains to try to see out the window as Joseph readies the hatchet and looks around wide-eyed. From the window, Myne can only see the rustling of naked tree branches, light flakes of snow falling, and the confirmation that they are in the center of the village of Kassen; Myne recognizes the Inn in the distance. The village looks quiet, with no one visible outside, but the village's homes that she glimpses seem to be intact. Myne watches Joseph takes a step back from the window, closing it back up. He then goes and grabs some worked wood nearby, and uses it to close up the gap where the glass was blown out, and begins to clean up. Eventually things settle back down, and Myne senses a bit of relief on their faces as they eat their stew in silence, and it allows Myne to relax slightly too.

Myne watches as the ripples return to the water once again, and the image of her mother goes out of focus, and she is left staring back at her own reflection. In frustration at losing the contact with her mother, she pounds her fist on the table.

Myne is left sitting in her room with conflicting thoughts, _Why would Joseph instinctively grab a hatchet when the glass broke? If it was just the wind the hatchet would be no good against it. Is my mother staying with the Denikins or was she just visiting… and making their supper too?_

Her thoughts travel to terrifying places when she thinks of creatures that would be strong enough to blow out windows: the beating of wings…large wings. A vision of the red dragon beating its wings at liftoff surfaces in her mind, and she immediately stands in panic. She has nothing definitive, just circumstance, but it is enough to push her: she must leave for Kassen immediately, but she refuses to entertain the thought of placing that burden on her friends. If she travels alone, flying, it might be possible for her to reach Kassen and then fly to Morrona in time to reach the group before they depart.

She pulls out the map, and begins to plan out her route, and prays to Gozreh to grant her the spells she would need to pull it off, _shapeshift to a giant falcon should do the trick; I have only seen one in flight once, over the higher elevations near Kassen, but I am sure I can take the shape, and then I could even carry Rauros with me_ … _I need some supplies, and I will leave at dawn._

 _ **Preparations**_

The group as a whole seems to be taking their decision to attack Isidore with the seriousness it deserves, and begin to think about their sea voyage and what they will find when they reach their destination. Roth is fixated on bringing down anything demonic that Sara or her new friend Kyus might throw at them, and begins shopping for the supplies to craft cold iron arrows. Along with Tarian and Myne, he also purchases 14 days of elven rations. Lo and Alex purchase halfling rations, and Mastodon buys orc rations. Along with their own survival, they also have their minds on their deities, and spending the time to get closer to them as they travel. Alex buys the _Axiom of Iomedae_ , and Mastodon buys the _Gorum Skagate._ Having talked to Tarian about the goddess Calistria, Lo decides to try out her _Book of Joy_. Tarian thinks only of the down time at sea, and purchases fishing gear.


	34. War for Nordost: 11th-12th of Calistril

**11th of Calistril: New Missions**

 _ **Poppet: Myne's Flight**_

On the next morning, Poppet wakes up, stretches and then washes her face in the pitcher and basin on the table. As she makes her way to the door to head downstairs for breakfast, she sees something on the floor: a piece of paper that must have been pushed under her door. When she opens it, she sees a letter addressed to her in Myne's handwriting:

 _10th of Calistril_

 _Dear Poppet,_

 _I write this quite late; the candle barely has any light left. I've spent much of the night in preparation for something that I've decided to do, and I guess you're the one who gets to hear of it first. Seeing Kassen on the war map today made me ache for home: I miss my mother, and I need to tell my uncle about Sara. With the decision finalized that we will head for Isidore itself, I feel like I may never see my family again, so I am taking it upon myself to travel to Kassen to do just that. I've studied the map, plotted my course, calculated distances, and planned out my spells. If I leave tomorrow morning with the dawn, I think I can make it to Kassen, spend time with my family, and then arrive in Morrona by the 20th or 21st of Calistril (in time to catch the ship with you all)._

 _We've bonded over the last couple of weeks, and in some ways this group has become my new family. I know that you and some of the others have taken it upon yourselves to care for me like a young sibling, and I appreciate the sentiment…. Sara was like that for me too. I understand that some of you may worry for me on this endeavor, but please trust in my abilities. Rauros is with me, and the two of us can do just about anything._

 _With that said, I want to explain one thing: Tonight I decided to try to scry on my mother, just to see her before I leave. What I saw has me worried, but I have nothing to base my fears on other than some odd circumstances that I could see around her. She was with a family in the village, and they seemed to be in fear when a force like a strong wind blew open a window. It doesn't sound like much even as I write this, but I wanted to voice my fear in case it is true…. I worry that the dragon we saw on the battlefield is in Kassen. I am going to try to scry on Sara tomorrow; maybe if I can see her I can see the dragon too. I may try to send word if I have anything concrete to say; the Pathfinders will want to know of it as well. Otherwise, look for my coming in Morrona on the 20th or 21st of Calistril._

 _May Gozreh let the road rise up to meet you, and let the wind be always at your back._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Simbelmyne Elladan (and Rauros)_

 _P.S.: Poppet, we have much work to do aboard the ship; I refuse to be idle for two months. I have enclosed gold (I had to have an apothecary help me with the money) to pay for my potions supplies, and the list of supplies I will require. I have also enclosed gold for appropriate clothing on the ship (I don't understand money very much, but I think this is enough); I hope you will pick out something for me that would be good to wear aboard a ship on the warm seas (you being a female much more in tune with these things). I assume we will buy all of this in Morrona and then board the supplies and ourselves directly, but should I not make it to Morrona in time to buy them myself, please purchase them on my behalf. If I do not make it onto the ship before it leaves, do not hold the ship because of my own folly, you must keep going…. I feel like we may all die by the end of this anyway._

[Enclosure: 1 platinum piece, 2000 gold pieces]

She shakes her head as she reads the letter, and immediately makes her way downstairs to tell the others that Myne and Rauros are gone.

 _ **Alex: Paperwork**_

Alex wakes up early, does some exercises, and decides to check in with the generals, given that they now have a new mission, and he knew that they would be leaving Ano Liosia in a matter of days. He makes his way to the officer's quarters, and runs into General Bolshyo Medivistan.

He is carrying a stack of papers, and when he sees Alex he says, "Alex I've been looking for you. It is time to give the initiates their assignments: Decide who will fill which slots, and see that you have it done by tomorrow afternoon. We move out soon!"

Alex takes the paperwork from the general, and gives an internal groan at the thought of filling out the marching orders, but outwardly gives his full enthusiasm as he says, "Yes, sir."

He takes the paperwork back to his room, and makes a day of it, only leaving to grab a lunch to eat at his desk while he reads the military's routes and missions. By nightfall he assigns the initiates to the various missions, and he felt confident in his placement of the initiates based on their strengths. The candlelight is nearly spent as he puts away his inkpot and quill after making his assignments. He gazes at the paperwork, knowing that his decisions could mean life or death for these new leaders and their initiates.

He feels a knot of nervousness in his stomach at knowing their fate was in his hands, and says out loud to his papers, "Ronbox...don't let Mora down..."

 _Order of commands issued to Captains of the Anian military. All documents are to be cleared and signed by the Commanding Officer of each Captain and by the General of the Army of Ani._

 ** _5th Defensive Division_** _: Tasked with securing the eastern defenses of the capital city of Gangai. This division will be responsible for the digging of trenches, the erection of defensive barriers, and will be in direct combat if and only if offensive divisions are broken through._

 ** _DIVISION CAPTAIN:_ _Ullen Enerdan_**

 ** _10th Desert Offense Division_** _: Tasked with directly assaulting Isidorian forces outside of Gangai. They must push these forces back east into the Smrt Lands and eventually back into Onogoro. This division will eventually be aided by the Tactical Offensive Division._

 ** _DIVISION CAPTAIN_** _: **Mora Nimrinde_**_

 ** _1st Tactical Offensive Division_** _: Tasked with carrying out a surprise side attack to the Isidorian forces east of Gangai. While the main forces will be pushing Isidore back east and stationed in the Ogromen Desert, this division will strike from the north out of the Smrt Lands. The division will break off from the main forces as they enter the Ogromen Desert and navigate through the Smrt Lands, heading South East. Assigned soldiers should have a high degree of survivability in an arid wilderness environment._

 ** _DIVISION CAPTAIN: Poters Rigo__**

 ** _2nd Mountain Scouting Division_** _: Tasked with traversing the Registana Mountains, heading east into Onogoro and connecting with the Dwarven resistance group. They will then make detailed charts on current defenses around the occupied capital city of Cradock. This mission will last several months. Assigned soldiers should have a high degree of survivability in a wilderness environment._

 ** _DIVISION CAPTAIN_** _: **Orin Hammerhaul_**_

 ** _1st Northern Tactical Scouting Division_** _: Tasked with Journeying to the northern reaches of Argos and tracking any possible movements by the barbarian tribes or Isidorian forces. Stealth will be of key importance for this mission. If the barbarian tribes know we have sent a small force into their territory it is likely they will arm themselves against us. Remaining on neutral grounds with them is vitally important to our cause._

 ** _DIVISION CAPTAIN_** _: **Theldero Draha_**_

 ** _COMMANDING OFFICER_**

 ** _SIGNED_** _: **Sir Alexander Shieldheart_**_

 ** _GENERAL OF THE ARMY_**

 ** _SIGNED:_**

 _ **Myne's First Day Out**_

Over the Whitecap Mountains, Myne presses on through the cold air. She was pushing the limits of her spells to ensure that both she and Rauros could make it through each day safely: She casts Reduce Animal to shrink Rauros in size, turns herself into a Giant Falcon (she had only seen one or two in her entire life, but she was happy that she was able to pull it off), and then casts Endure Elements on the both of them. She is able to carry Rauros without feeling the burden, which she is thankful for, considering she was going to have to travel for about 14 hours a day, and she knew that the last couple hours would be agony. As the daylight fades and she feels herself tire, she is happy to see the end of the mountains. She descends out of the mountain's rocky peaks and skims the canopy of a pine forest. She finds a suitable place to rest for the night, makes a fire, and devours her rations.

In her head she thinks, _Day one, success._

 _ **Mastodon: The Might of the Bear**_

With free reign until they have further instructions, and a steady bankroll, Mastodon finds himself with free time that he is not used to. He decides to walk around the city, finding a great training yard full of wooden dummies for melee and ranged training that he eagerly applies himself to for the morning. As he mercilessly strikes a dummy, bits of wood fly off in all directions. From his side, Hein approaches, and ducks to avoid a particularly large piece of wood from finding its way to his skull.

He smiles, impressed with Mastodon's work and says, "I thought I might find you here. I've heard some rumors about you, and your association with the Pathfinders."

Mastodon gives him a look, and he continues with, "Word spreads quickly, and people can't keep their mouths shut. Anyway, I find it interesting, and I thought I would ask you what you hope to achieve by it."

Maston shifts his weight, lifts his great sword up and across his shoulders and says, "It isn't for personal gain. My companions are tied up in a mission, and I will see it through."

Hein gives a nod of approval and says, "That's a strong sense of duty; a good quality to have, but don't follow it too blindly. I will pray for you, mercenary. May you have many worthy battles. I also want to give you something…"

From around his waist, he unbuckles a large and magnificent belt that has an image of a bear on the buckle, and as he hands it to Mastodon he says, "This will ensure that your enemies will have to work extra hard to harm you."

Mastodon takes the belt with gratitude, admiring the beautiful buckle before looking back to Hein and giving him thanks for the Belt of Mighty Constitution.

Hein looks satisfied at Mastodon's acceptance of the gift and says, "Before we part ways, I also want to let you know about a special place. If you are ever in Luna, the Temple of Gorum is there, and you might find it worthwhile to make a pilgrimage."

Mastodon beams with gratitude and says, "I hope to someday repay this gift, and I will try to visit Luna."

Hein smiles and says, "I hope to cross blades with you again someday."

"As do I."

 _ **Roth & Poppet: Curiosity & Pie**_

Roth's curiosity over Poppet's identity had reached its full height when he noticed the change in her appearance and demeanor after their departure from Avalon. Since joining the party, Roth could not quite put his finger on what was different about her: she had all the appearances of being a rather small human witch, but given his expertise in tracking humans, she didn't quite fit into the mold. During their journey to Ano Liosia, he had caught new changes in her appearance (some gleaned from overhearing a conversation between her and Myne): she seemed to now have swirling blue tattoos on her arm-adorning skin that is much paler than before-and her familiar had changed. The little fox was gone, and this tiny humanoid faerie creature was now in its place. He wondered if the appearance of the tattoos was a result of her familiar change, and what the tattoos meant about her real identity. He decides to make his curiosity known to her instead of keeping it in, but wants to temper his curiosity as much as possible. He knows that his companions all have their secrets, just as he does, and does not want to alienate anyone by pushing a companion too far for the sake of his curiosity. He chooses his words and expression carefully, and catches up with Poppet as the group decides to take a trip out to the market stalls of the city.

Roth manages to sidle up to the witch as they walk down the cobblestone street, and when they end up alone together, he says, "I don't want to pry, but what happened to you? You have changed since Avalon."

As they stroll down the street, Poppet gives an inward smile at Roth's question, knowing that he was going to ask questions about her eventually. She knew he was curious about her identity, and that of everyone in the group, he was the one that was least convinced that she was who she presented herself to be. She wasn't ready to tell Roth her life's story just because he asks, but she also did not want to completely deny or refuse to explain the obvious. Myne had already talked with her about her new Patron, and she felt that the rest of the group deserved to know as much.

She looks at the ranger and says, "It seems that my patron has changed; my new familiar has revealed her to be the goddess Milani."

Poppet looks around for her familiar to gesture towards her as she mentions her, and finally locates the little azata stuffing pie in her face from a nearby market stall.

Poppet raises her eyes heavenward and sighs as she says, "Shit, I have to go pay for that."

She begins to walk towards the stall and looks back at Roth saying, "Yeah, that's Ellete, I'm sure you'll get to know her."

Roth follows her to the stall, and as Poppet gives the pie stall owner some copper for the pie he says, "The process of changing patrons must have been very forceful."

Poppet nods to the ranger and says, "It turned my world upside-down, but I at least am aware of who my patron is now. And as for Ellete, well, I'm sure you'll tire quickly of her 'in your face' attitude."

Roth smiles and says, "If you don't mind, I'd like to tag along with you for the rest of the morning, I've got nowhere special to be."

Poppet nods in response to his question, inviting him to join her for the day.

Taking it easy for the day, they walk in silence and taking in the sights of the marketplace. Poppet thinks about Myne, knowing that if she was in the city she would probably be hanging around either Poppet or Roth (or both) on this type of day, and it reminds her to let the rest of the group know about Myne's current whereabouts.

She gives Roth a sidelong glance to watch his reaction as she says, "By the way, Myne is not in the city…"

Roth comes out of his silent reverie, and cautiously says, "Uhhh, is there something that I need to know about?"

Poppet enjoys seeing the ranger show concern for the druid's disappearance, and continues with, "She took off in the night. She went back to Kassen to check on her mother. She's worried. She left a letter for me, which is the only reason I know she left."

Roth seems to take it in stride and says, "Well alright, I am a little surprised. I just hope she'll be okay."

Roth and Poppet spend the rest of the morning shopping, and as Poppet runs across members of the group, she discloses Myne's whereabouts. When they arrive back at the inn, Roth takes the time to enter Myne's room to see if he can find out anything more about her departure, but unfortunately for him, he finds the room has been completely cleared out of all Myne's belongings. He sighs and gives himself a moment's regret for not sensing her intentions, and feels a pang of disappointment at not being asked to go with her. All he can do is hope that she makes the journey in safety, and that she would be there to greet them in Morrona.

 **12th of Calistril:** **Farewells and Deliveries**

Light snow begins to fall, and in Ano Liosia a slight, brisk wind blows from the canyon throughout the city.

 _ **Alex: Paperwork Delivered**_

With his work completed, Alex walks to the center of the city to deliver his report to the general. Bolshyo smiles at Alex's perfectly organized paperwork with his careful scrawl across the documents.

He sighs and says, "I wish you could stick around, but I understand that you have other priorities."

Alex nods and says, "Our journey will be beneficial to the greater cause."

The general smiles, then signs his approval for Alex's deployments, "Deliver these missives personally to the new recruits as soon as you can. We plan to move out in the early hours of morning. Good luck in your mission."

 _ **Roth: Father's Send-Off & Cygar's Missive**_

Roth's father was set to leave the city of Ano Liosia, and with the intention of spending what might be his last moments with his father, Roth makes his way to the main square, just outside the capitol building. After seeing his father a few days prior and learning of the difficult choice he would have to make, he had spent much time in thought, asking himself questions about what mattered most to him. Despite a lot of love and respect for his father, family, and his own people, he felt very attached to the little group that he joined up with in Kassen months ago, and he felt genuine concern for each of them. He could not leave them to their fates alone, and as a ranger he had a duty and loyalty to the land that was being corrupted, and the people suffering through this time of upheaval. It was a hard decision to make, and he knew this was his last chance to change his mind, but he would not be going with his father.

As he approaches a small cluster of people in the square, he recognizes his father and his friends, the three elves that were his envoys, readying giant falcons for flight. The birds are getting their harnesses tightened, and Roth notices that the elves are all wearing heavy cloaks over their robes to shelter them from the cold biting wind on the flight.

His father sees him approaching, and smiles, turning his full attention to his approaching son and says, "Here to see your father off huh?"

Roth returns the smile and says, "It was good to see you during this time, but I am going to see this through. I have found my place, and it is here, with this group."

His father's chest swells as he takes a deep breath and says, "You have made your father very proud. You will be in my prayers."

Roth realizes the enormity of his father's wishes, and the fact his father might leave forever with pride for his son, and a prayer for him as well.

With a deep tune in his voice, Roth says, "And you will be in mine, father."

His father turns to the falcons and says, "Luckily we have been able to procure these falcons for the trip, it will make the travel go by swiftly, and high above the threats to the east."

Roth's thoughts go to the dragon, and he says, "Be warned, there is a red dragon that has destroyed Avalon, and its current whereabouts are not known."

Roth's father gives a nod and says, "It has been thousands of years since a dragon of that size has been seen. Red is the color of chaos and evil; this is a bad omen."

Ricros approaches Avendlir, and says, "Sir, we are ready to depart."

Roth's father nods, and turns back to his son, embracing him in a hug, "Take care of yourself."

Between his swelling emotions, Roth manages to respond with, "I will," as his father turns and makes his way to one of the eagles.

A light snow begins to fall as they take off, and Roth watches for a while as the eagles disappear into the sky to the east.

As he re-enters the capitol building to make his way back to his room, he sees the receptionist at the messenger desk waving to him. When he approaches her, she hands him a sealed slip of paper with the Pathfinder symbol upon it. He thanks her, and makes his way back to his quarters to read the missive. Cygar's hurried scrawl greets him as he opens the letter, and reads its contents:

 _Dear Pathfinders,_

 _I have found a ship, pretty cheap too! It is called The Duchess of Wati, and it departs from Morrona on the 22nd of Calistril. It is a two-masted ship, with 20 crew and 150 tons of cargo. The reason we got a deal was all in my negotiations. They are already sailing to ports Portilla, Luna, and for a price, Southern Isidore. I got you guys bunks! Not sure what kind of cargo they carry, though, they were light on those details. I'm not coming with you on this trip, I'm going to be needed elsewhere, but good luck!_

 _-Cygar_

After committing the contents to memory, he finds his way out to the hallway to find the other party members to let them know that they had their mission, and needed to make their way to Morrona before the ship leaves. The group decides to travel by horseback, and each person makes their way to the shops to prepare for the travel: Lo tries to persuade his way to a deal for a new net, and pays 348 gold for it, and Roth buys supplies to make another 20 cold iron arrowheads.

 _ **Myne: Temple of Nethys**_

Flying above a dense forest, Myne can feel her muscles straining as her second day of travel closes. There is a light snowfall, and she thinks back about her progress for the day: she had gone through a mountain range at the narrowest opening she could find to avoid the worst of the elements and glided down the other side to skim the tops of the trees in the forest. She sees a temple ahead, and decides to call it quits for the night. The symbols reveal it to be the Temple of Nethys, one that she remembers the group bypassing on their way to Ano Liosia. Inside, she sees colors of scarlet, dark red, and deep wine with alcoves to each of the gods. Myne asks permission from the priests to stay for the night, which they allow her, being a child of magic. After she kneels and prays at Gozreh's alcove, she immediately finds a quiet place to lay down and sleep the night away in peace and safety.


	35. War for Nordost: 13th-22nd of Calistril

**13th of Calistril:** **Lonely Flight and Iomedae's Peace**

 ** _Alex, Poppet, Roth, Tarian, & Lo: The Temple of Iomedae_**

Alex wakes early in the morning, and delivers the orders to the troops. They are assembled to move out on his orders, and he watches as they begin to file out towards their destinations. After seeing them off, he finds his way to the rest of the group, where they are making their final preparations and saddling their horses. Alex looks around, and realizes that Myne is not among the group, and that Poppet seems to look very different from what he remembered. It was the first time he had seen the group in a few days; the last he saw of them was at the meeting, where he paid little attention to details, and since then he had been seeing to his duties as a trainer.

As they begin to ride out, he reins in next to Poppet and asks, "Ok, where is Myne, why are you blue, and what the hell is that faerie?"

Poppet smiles shyly at his lack of observation when he saw her at Merrymead, and says with some hesitation, "I just…. Myne will meet us in Morrona. We'll talk on the road."

Alex is not satisfied with her explanation and looks at her with the best piercing gaze he can muster and says, "But you're blue…. and the flying thing…"

Poppet deflects the gaze and the questions, and continues to ride, leaving Alex with a puzzled look. They head across the long bridge leading out of Ano Liosia, spanning the canyon below. On the bridge, the air gusts, whipping snow in their faces, and even after leaving the bridge behind, there is a light snowfall that follows them throughout the day. They follow the edge of the river south, and by the end of the day they come to the Temple of Iomedae, and decide that it is the best place to set up camp for the night.

Before they step into the temple, Alex grabs Tarian by the collar and whispers, "If you steal anything, I will hurt you."

Once inside, they enjoy the sight of the arched white entryway, and Alex says, "Personal cleanliness and an honorable demeanor are expected in here."

There are beautiful columns and statues, and most of the temple is white. There is also a small alcove devoted to Milani, since Iomedae and Milani are somewhat akin to each other. The temple priest offers some living spaces for the group, and they all unpack and make themselves comfortable. Roth shows his respects for Iomedae by bowing at a statue, and Lo and Tarian take a more neutral appreciation of the goddess simply by staying out of trouble.

The temple is quiet, peaceful, and above all inspiring for the agents of Iomedae and Milani. Following Ellete's lead, Poppet winds up at the small alcove with an altar for Milani. Ellete falls to her knees before the shrine and begins offering zealous prayers to Milani while Poppet tries to be as thankful as she can for her new powers, still unsure about how to accept the gifts pushed upon her. Alex feels that he is ready to approach Poppet about his prior actions; despite the fact that he had apologized to her in the letter, he had not had much time to tell her so in person, and he felt that he owed that to her. He walks the halls, and finds her in an alcove, waiting beside Ellete at the shrine of Milani, and quietly backs away, and waits on a bench nearby.

Hearing the sound of footsteps, Poppet looks back and sees Alex seated on a bench waiting patiently for her, and wearing a slight grin. She smiles and moves to sit next to him on the bench, where they sit in silence, enjoying the temple's gifts.

Alex finally breaks the reverie by saying, "I just wanted to tell you in person how sorry I am for my actions. Iomedae has been very forgiving to me, and I hope that you will be too."

Poppet smiles and says, "I know you have lost much, but that does not excuse your actions. Your letter moved me, and your presence tonight solidifies it. Now that I am an agent of Milani, you and I are of the same mind and purpose, and I look forward to fighting alongside you."

She takes out a silk wrapped bundle from her pack, unwinding the scarf to reveal Alex's pendant and Sara's journal before holding them out to Alex, "I tried to give these to you once, I think this time you'll be a bit more receptive to them."

Alex lets out a shudder at the sight of the journal, and grasps the pendant of Iomedae with reverence.

He looks at Poppet and says, "Thank you. You don't know what these mean to me."

He embraces Poppet, letting a tear roll down his cheek, and says, "This pendant represents my devotion and world. I think I need to pray."

He stands, and takes Poppet by the hand saying, "Thank you," before making his way to the altar of Iomedae alone.

He holds the pendant tightly as he kneels before the altar and says, "The symbol of your power, cast aside by me in my darkest hour. It has been returned to me through the graces of an agent of Milani, and I now ask for you to make it holy once more."

A ray of light pierces the dark temple, and for a moment the pendant glows gold in his hand before it fades again.

He sighs and whispers, "I am back, fully. Those that would do evil will know my wrath, and it will be done in your name."

 _ **Myne: The Mountains Fight Back**_

Snow falls lightly on Myne's wings as she traverses rocky crags. Suddenly an updraft catches her off guard, flinging her through the air in an erratic trajectory, and then she begins to plummet out control towards a mountain wall. She manages to pull out of the dive before crashing, and it makes for the only eventful part of her excruciating day of travel. By the end of the day, she makes it out of the mountains with the view of Fangwood forest in front of her. She quietly sets up camp, and falls asleep leaning against Rauros for comfort and companionship.

 _One more day_ … she thinks to herself.

 **14th of Calistril: Forces of Evil Emerge**

 _ **Ride out from the Temple of Iomedae**_

While Tarian brews coffee, Alex pays respects to Iomedae one last time at the temple's main shrine. It is a marble slab with images depicting Iomedae in her splendor, with a long sword mounted to it. He feels uplifted from the prayer, and ready to take on the day. The weather is warmer, and cold rain makes traveling uncomfortable. They continue to follow the river south, riding with it on their right, and to the left a swamp spreads out before them. Ahead to the southwest they see the white-capped mountains looming before them.

 _ **Myne: A Reunion with Mother**_

With her thoughts focused on seeing her mother that night if she pushed, Myne flies over Fangwood, and by nightfall, when the last of her energy is waning, she sees plumes of chimney smoke and pin pricks of light from the houses of Kassen. She lands outside of town near her mother's cottage to not alarm anyone that might see her in her animal form, and changes into herself. She notices that there is no smoke coming from her mother's chimney, and through the windows she only sees darkness. There are no footsteps in the snow around the cottage other than her own, and the snow has not been cleared in front of the house. She isn't surprised to see the abandoned features given what she saw in her vision, but it is still unsettling to see it in person. She decides to make her way to the village to find Joseph's house, and notices that most of the houses are dark, and there is no activity in the streets. She sees lights in the tavern, and when she reaches the Denikin house, she is uplifted to see a light inside. Being so exhausted from the days of overexerting herself to reach Kassen, she is pretty sure that it is only her trepidation that is keeping her on her feet any more. She reaches the door, and takes a deep breath before knocking.

She hears Joseph's voice say with some alarm, "Who is it?"

Myne exhales and with a shaky voice says, "It's Simbelmyne, I was looking for Brynn."

The door creaks open to reveal a worried-looking Joseph who says with some amazement, "It is you. Come inside quickly," and immediately closes the door behind her.

She has a moment to take in the tiny cottage, and fixates on her mother staring back at her with relief and emotion. Myne already can feel the tears running down her cheeks as she rushes to her and embraces her tightly.

All she can say is, "Mother!"

Brynn lets her daughter quietly cry onto her shoulder for a moment, holding her tightly. When they release, Myne looks around, taking in more of the cottage. The smell of cooked stew wafts through the room, and she sees cots set up around the hearth.

It reminds her of her vision, and she looks at her mother with concern and says, "I came back to see you, and Uncle Faramir. I can't stay long, but I needed to see you before...before I leave for a while. Is everything all right here?"

Her mother's expression darkens a little as she says, "Your uncle is staying at the tavern...the woods have become dangerous. Strange creatures came out of the woods…anyone on the outskirts left, and moved closer to the village. The woods have become a dreadful place."

Joseph nods in agreement and says, "I saw something alarming in the woods. It was reptilian-looking, large with great wings!"

Myne looks wide-eyed at Joseph and Brynn and says, "How large are we talking about here?!"

 _ **The Warmth of a Village**_

The rain continues to drive down on the group riding south towards Morrona. As the sun sets, they see a village ahead in the distance, the warm glow of candlelight emanating from some of the windows. The group decides to end their night in the warmth of an inn, rather than push any further in the cold. When they reach the village, night has fallen and they notice that there are wooden gates in front of the entrance. Roth approaches, and tries to shout out for a guard to talk to.

After some time, a guard shouts down to them from the wall above, "The gate is closed to travelers! State your business."

Roth says, "We are hoping to spend the night in the village, we've been on the road all day."

The guard eyes the group and says, "You're an odd bunch to be travelling so late..."

Roth responds with, "We are willing to pay for accommodations at your inn, we've traveled from the Temple of Iomedae."

The guard reluctantly opens the gates and says, "Stay out of trouble, or you'll be back on the street!"

Inside the village walls they find it quiet, and the streets are muddy from the heavy rain, but they see the warm glow of lights at the inn. Lo glances at the map and assumes that they have reached the village of Sikies. It is enough for them, and they all make their way to the inn's entrance. Inside, they stomp the mud off their boots, and shrug off their sodden cloaks, eager to enjoy the pleasures of a warm hearth, food, and a soft bed. A few people turn to look at the newcomers, but then go back about their business.

The group seat themselves at a large wooden table, and a barmaid approaches them and says, "Can I get you anything?"

Poppet lets out a shiver and says, "Anything hot."

The barmaid nods in understanding and says, "Meals and rooms for six?"

From the table, Ellete shouts, "Seven!"

Poppet holds her head in her hands and says, "Just...yeah."

Alex, Poppet, and Roth order hot teas while Lo, Tarian, Mastodon, and Ellete order hot meads.

The barmaid says, "We have four rooms, two cots to a room so I assume you are taking all four rooms?"

Poppet lets out a little disgusted sound at the thought that she would have to pay for a full room since the barmaid was counting Ellete as a body in a room, and Lo comes to the rescue.

He gives the barmaid a suave look with his light green eyebrows and says, "Could I just stay with you tonight?"

The group watches as the barmaid blushes from the proposition and she says, "You flatter me," and she bends down to whisper in Lo's ear, "I'm the house around back."

Lo grins and says, "Okay, so three rooms then."

The rooms cost them two gold each, and they arrange for Tarian and Mastodon in one room, Roth and Alex in another, and Poppet and Ellete in the third. The charge is three silvers for each of their meals, and they eat and drink the rest of the night away. While Tarian is at the bar, listening for any news, he hears the villagers talking about armies moving in the northeast. He also hears another villager talking about strange creatures up in the mountains. One was a large creature, larger than a deer. The wind and rain pick up, beating relentlessly against the windows. They ask the barmaid about the rumors of the creatures, and the barmaid confirms that she has heard talk about strange creatures, but that is all she knows about it. They each finally find their beds, Lo finding his warmer than the others, and attempt to sleep the cold, wet night away.

 _ **Myne's Nightmare**_

As the group in Sikies attempts to sleep, Myne is asking Joseph about the size of the creature he saw. He responds with a description of a large lizard creature, bigger and stranger than anything he had ever seen in the woods. As if on cue they hear a scraping against the outside of the house, and then thumps on the steps of the front door. Joseph rushes to his family, moving them to the back of the house in panic. Myne breathes heavily in panic, watching as the Denikins, and her mother gather together in fear. She pulls herself together, and makes her way to the window to peer out at what is making the noises outside. She sees wet, green scales flickering from the window light, and large leathery wings, and her eyes widen with fear. She had never seen one before, but she knows the tales: a Forest Drake. A lawful evil creature; the degenerate cousins of green dragons. They are bullies, eagerly attacking any in their path, and they have a particular fondness for the taste of elves. She hears it snorting under the door, and the blood drains from her face: it can smell her. Then there is silence; no snorting, no movement until a shattering explosion breaks the silence: the creature destroys the door, leaving nothing but the door frame and the forest drake looking menacingly in at her.

 _ **Sikies' Nightmare**_

As the door frame of the Denikin household is splintered by the forest drake, the group in Sikies is having a restless night of sleep. The wind and rain cause a racket that is hard to shut out, and suddenly, above the noise of the wind and rain, they hear a shrieking noise. It does not sound natural, and it stirs the group out of their beds. They look out their windows and see something flying through the air, and they can tell from the shadows that it is huge. Suddenly it dives down out of the sky, smashing through houses in the village when it lands, making a huge crashing sound, and releasing another dreadful shriek like glass grinding against stone. They hear the sounds of screaming, and people running from the shattered homes. Other villagers begin to come out of their houses as well to investigate the commotion, and when they see the creature that caused the racket, immediately rush for cover. The group make their way outside, with Lo running out of a nearby house while hurriedly pulling his pants on, and fully take in what they are up against: a Shantak, a chaotic evil creature, huge in size with a vaguely horse-like head and vast, slime-encrusted wings.

 _ **Miles Apart and Sharing a Fate**_

For Myne by herself in Kassen and the rest of the group in Sikies, they share the fate of a fight with a creature that is terrorizing the local village. Each gritted their teeth against the creatures they faced, wondering what would come next.

Ellete taps into Divine power, and casts Holy Starlight that bursts, but the creature dodges. Poppet casts Enlarge Person on Mastodon, making him truly larger than life. The Shantak bites at the enlarged Mastodon, and swipes with its talons, knocking him ten feet backwards and into a house. Myne, her strength fading from the long day's exertion casts Summon Nature's Ally I and brings a viper to fight by her side. Roth fires a Rapid Shot at the Shantak but misses. In Kassen, the drake finds that despite its best efforts to lunge at Myne through the gaping opening in the house, it cannot fit through, so it tries to bite at the frame and swipe at it with its tail. Myne sends Rauros forward in a Bull Rush to push the drake away from the house. Mastodon swings his great sword but misses, his blade reflecting off the slimy scales of the Shantak. Tarian stealths and fires a crossbow bolt, hitting the creature. Myne's viper bites into the leg of the drake while Alex Smites Evil, hitting the Shantak with a heavy heavenly blow. Lo plays his lute to Inspire Courage for the group in Sikies.

Ellete casts Cure Light Wounds on Mastodon while Poppet casts Heroism on Alex. The Shantak sees the glint of Alex's sword and shrieks at him, then bites and rips him with its talons. Myne, not wanting to engage the drake with physical force since she had no strength left, casts a ball of fire in her hand and throws it at the drake while Roth lands one shot on the Shantak. The drake bites at Rauros, and Rauros bites back. Mastodon lands a heavy blow to the Shantak while Tarian and Myne's viper miss. Alex lands a blow, and Lo's Blind spell misses.

Ellete casts Lesser Confusion but it misses, and Poppet casts Cure Serious Wounds healing Alex. The Shantak bites and rips with its talons, sending Alex flying backwards and into Poppet. Myne realizes she can call on a much greater creature from her dwindling reserve of spells, and casts Summon Nature's Ally IV, bringing a grizzly bear into the fight. Roth fires with Rapid Shot, hitting with each of his three arrows, while the drake opens its maw, breathes in and then from its mouth a billowing acid cloud emerges, and Myne, Rauros, and her two summoned creatures feel the effects. Rauros manages to hit the drake with one claw while Mastodon lands another heavy blow to the Shantak. Myne's grizzly bear hits with two claws while Tarian misses. The viper lands a bite that poisons the drake and Alex lands his second hit on the Shantak. Lo casts confusion on the area around the Shantak, and it also affects Alex and Mastodon.

Ellete casts Starlight again and hits, while Poppet casts Cure Serious Wounds on Alex again. The Shantak screams and scratches itself in confusion while in Kassen Myne casts Cure Moderate Wounds on Rauros. Roth lands a critical shot on the Shantak, landing key shots on its body while the drake bites and tail-swipes Rauros. Rauros bites and claws at the drake with vicious tenacity, bringing the drake down. It makes its last gurgling noises and stops moving. Mastodon, in his confusion, injures himself when he head-butts a spike on the Shantak while Tarian lands a critical hit to the Shantak's neck. It screeches in pain, and topples into a nearby house where it lays still.

With the danger over, Poppet casts Dispel Magic on Mastodon to stop him from hurting himself more, and Tarian slowly approaches the massive creature, examining its slimy scales and hoping to find something of value on it. When nothing is forthcoming, he and Roth both hunt for their arrows. The townsfolk slowly come out from their houses, gasping at the sight of the huge monster. They are not sure what to do with the huge beast, but they want it out of their village as soon as possible. They look to the adventurers for help, and the group decides the best course of action is to drag it out of town and throw it in the river. Roth gathers up some horses, and hitches them up to the beast. They slowly drag it through the gate, down to the river, and throw it in. The townsfolk are grateful that the creature has been killed and disposed of; for those that were not in complete awe of the group, the townsfolk come forward to thank them. Poppet walks around the village, healing townsfolk that had sustained injuries during the fight. After everyone has a chance to calm down from the event, the group takes the opportunity to try to get some rest.

Meanwhile in Kassen, Myne shakily approaches the dead forest drake, and inspects the creature. She finds a beautiful longbow that feels like it has some innate power when she holds it in her hands. She admires it briefly before feeling her exhaustion take hold. Her knees give out, and she collapses, falling asleep before she even hits the ground.

 **15th of Calistril:** **A Village's Gain and a Family's Loss**

 _ **A Sikies Compliment**_

There are clear skies and bright sun when the group in Sikies wakes up from their well-deserved rest. When they come downstairs for breakfast, they are warmly greeted by the inn's workers. They are given a warm and complimentary breakfast, and even the shyer villagers begin to approach the group to thank and praise their deeds. The group cheerily packs up, and with the warmest of farewells, and the open invitation to return, the group continue south.

 _ **Myne: What is Truly Lost**_

When Myne opens her eyes, she is greeted by the radiant sun of late morning. She is in the Denikin cottage, and she sits up carefully, groaning at a few sore muscles. The last four days have caught up to her, and the rest only eased some of the exhaustion. She sees her mother making porridge, and Joseph at the doorway trying to patch up the gaping hole left by the drake. When her mother hears Myne stirring, she smiles warmly, welcoming her to the land of the living. As Myne hungrily eats the porridge proffered by her mother, Brynn tells stories of how Kassen fared after the Coming of Age celebration. She tells Myne how the forest became inhospitable just a few weeks after the group left, and how many villagers on the outskirts (including Myne's Uncle Faramir) were forced to leave their cottages for their own safety. Myne thinks about the red drake again, and then her mind rests heavily on Sara. She had to tell her Uncle, but she needed to see if she could locate Sara with a scrying attempt. Myne excuses herself, and finds a quiet corner to pour water into a bowl, and focuses her thoughts on Sara.

She could feel the connection to her cousin, and when the ripples in the water began to reveal an image, she could feel a certain sense of trepidation, _What will I see? Can I endure it?_

When the ripples subside, she gasps: Sara's face appears, surrounded by a torrent of fire. Instead of seeing Sara obliviously going about her activities, she sees an otherworldly being that is staring right back at Myne, and she shudders at this evil being looking out at her through Sara's eyes. It knows that it is being watched. In terror, Myne flings the bowl off the table, upsetting the water and ending the image. The water begins to let off steam from where it lays in puddles on the floor, and Myne breathes heavily as she tries to recover from what she saw. It was no good, Sara was gone.

With a heavy heart Myne makes her way to the Seven Silvers Inn to find her uncle. She dreads his reaction to finding out that his only daughter was taken by an evil being; losing his wife (Brynn's sister) had almost destroyed him. She finds her Uncle Faramir seated at a booth in the tavern, and approaches him as steadily as she can. She embraces her uncle, and he welcomes her with a smile. She sits in the booth across from him, and begins to tell her tale. She tells him everything about their travels, and he listens intently to her tale. She gets choked up when she tells Faramir about Sara's possession, and when she must tell Faramir about the destruction Sara caused to the caravan, and in the Battle at Avalon. The only part she leaves out concerning Sara is the romance with Alex; she feels it is too private to share, especially with Sara's father. With her eyes streaming she tells her uncle that she will do everything in her power to bring Sara back, vowing to never give up on her.

Faramir watches his young niece shudder into silence with her hands over her face, and he takes a deep breath before moving to sit next to her in the booth and holding her tight, "Myne, if this is your quest, then I believe my daughter will come back to me. Remember, none of this is your fault, and the world is a strange place. With you out there trying to save her, I feel like anything is possible. I believe in you."

Myne looks up into her uncle's face, and says, "I love you Uncle Faramir, and I'm sorry. I have something for you to keep… it was Sara's, and it might help you and the village in a time of need."

She takes out Sara's silver scale, Kassen's gift to each of them, and hands it to her uncle with some explanation of the boon.

He holds the trinket lovingly, and then looks back at her niece who no longer looks so young, "It seems so long ago that the town tried to trick you all during your ceremony…you've grown. Looking at you now, you look every bit the experienced adventurer."

Myne gives her uncle a smirk as she gestures out the window and says, "Did you see the dead drake outside?"

Myne leaves her uncle after a long embrace and a farewell, and heads back to the Denikin house to spend a bit more time with her mother. Without saying it directly, she tries to tell her mother her fears that she might never see Kassen or her family again. Before she knows it, the day has waned, and she knows she must leave if she has any hope of making it to Morrona in time. She tries to be as cheerful as she can as she says her goodbyes, and heads out southwest bound for Morrona. In her heart, she knows she will likely never see her family or Kassen again.

 **16th-21st of Calistril:** **Second Trip to Morrona**

Myne rests at a fort along the mountain's edge, and then follows the Red Road along the river. The tow path for barges makes an easy landmark to follow, and before she knows it, she has made it to the large bridge that crosses the river into Morrona. She heads into the city on the 19th of Calistril as light snow falls, proud that her excursion was successful. She had arrived with a full day to spare, and ahead of the group. When she scries on Poppet, she sees them on the road, with familiar landmarks that tell her they will arrive the next day. Myne checks in at a moderate inn, the Gentle Breeze, and waits for her new family to arrive.

The group makes their way south at a good pace, finding no more trouble along the path. Finally, they reach the Rose Gulf on the 19th. They meet a group of soldiers heading out from Morrona towards the east, and when Alex speaks with them, they find out that the castle at Morrona is locked down because of the war. The soldiers consisted mostly of infantry, and they could not offer any more information because of the lack of officers. They are happy to see Alex though; his name had reached them from the Battle at Avalon.

On the 20th of Calistril, Myne rushes out to the bridge to await the group's arrival to Morrona. By early afternoon, she sees the familiar faces of her friends come into view. She gives an excited wave to them as they approach, and when Alex recognizes the figure, he jumps down from his horse and rushes towards her, reaching her in a crash with his arms out to hold her. His embrace is a combination of relief at her being alive to hold; and frustration and anger at worrying about her reckless behavior. Roth helps to release Myne from Alex's crushing hug and admonishments, welcoming her back to the group with a smile. Myne takes the outstretched arm proffered by Poppet, and swings up onto her horse behind her to ride into town, apologizing to Alex for going off on her own, but defending her need to go. She offers her story of the green drake to the group, and in turn they tell her of the Shantak they faced.

Alex shakes his head when Myne speaks, uttering, "Childish," and "Reckless," under his breath.

On the 21st the group prepares for their voyage by shopping in Morrona. Poppet and Myne gather supplies for potion-making while the others gather some last-minute items.

 **22nd of Calistril: Setting Sail**

Clear skies smile upon the group as they make their way down to the harbor. It is very busy for early morning; some fishermen are already selling their first catches of the day on the docks. They see multi-masted cargo ships, fishing ships, and war ships. There is a wide array of characters, from the very high-born to mangy, dirty pirates. Tarian approaches the dock-master and asks about the ship named _The Duchess of Wati_ , and as the dock master begins to respond, a few scruffy pirates eye the group.

One approaches Poppet with a leer and says, "Hey pretty lady, you looking for a good time? I've got the tallest mast in the gulf right here," and pats himself in the groin proudly.

Before Poppet can make a response, Alex steps in front of Poppet, shielding her from view, and unsheathes his sword.

The pirate eyes him warily and says, "I don't want no trouble…" and walks away.

As they watch the pirate retreat, Myne quizzically asks Poppet, "Well it's a good thing he did not raise a mast here, we're on dry land!"

Poppet tries to hide a snort as she says, "It is a metaphor…for...umm, we can talk about it later."

She smiles as she sees Alex redden at the conversation and he hastily turns his attention to the dock-master.

The dock-master looks at his book, and finds the ship they want on his list. "Ah, yes, _The Duchess of Wati_ is here. Why are you looking for her?"

Tarian says, "We have something to transport…"

The dock master eyes the group and says, "Between you and me, I wouldn't sail on her, it's bad luck to sail with women on a ship."

From behind them, they hear a female voice ring out with a thick Portillian accent, "And just who you be calling cursed?"

They look towards the sound of the voice, and see a dark-skinned woman with dreadlocks, a captain's hat, and a curved sabre hanging from her belt.

She eyes the dock-master and says, "Get ya out of here."

She then turns to the group and says, "You must be the ones who Cygar contacted me about. My name is Kamara Canteen, pleased to meet you. The sailors over there will be gracing the ship as well. Follow me."

She leads them out to the dock to a nice-looking cargo ship with two masts, with sailors loading cargo and making final preparations for the ship's launch.

The gang plank is down, and she ushers to them, "Alright landlubbers, on ye go!"

They begin to lead their horses up to the gangplank, but she stops them, and says, "No livestock on me ship."

Alex looks at Sif, and then looks back at Kamara and says, "How much?"

She stands her ground and says, "No livestock."

Despite more begging and pleading, Kamara refuses to allow the horses to board, so Alex is forced to find a stable for Sif, and the group sells the warhorse, and a couple light horses. Roth, Poppet, Lo, Mastodon and Myne also pay to have their horses stabled.

When they board, they are introduced to some of the crew: the first mate is a degenerate lizardfolk male named Corinth Pythos, a set of half-elf female twins, one, the cook is named Arhana Vajor and the other is named Delqwyn Vajor, who mans the crow's nest; a female drow on the night shift at the crow's nest named Kelfein Freath; and a female dwarf deckhand named Ridda Koruduum. After these brief introductions, Captain Kamara begins barking orders to set sail. All hands are on deck at their posts, and the group is caught up in the busy momentum of the launch, holding tight to the railings as the anchor is raised, and the ship begins to lurch forward.

They feel the ship pull away from the harbor, and they watch as the sails are unfurled to head into deeper water.

The first mate, Corinth Pythos crosses his arms as he watches the crew go about their duties, finally turning his attention to the group with a gruff and scratchy voice, "Land-lovers, yeh've got 25 days of travel until our first port. Enjoy this last look of Morrona, yeh can still see the spires of the castle."

Myne kneels to give a little prayer to Gozreh for a safe journey, good winds, and calm seas.


	36. Voyage to Isidore: 22nd Cal-12th Phar

**22nd-27th of Calistril: First Days at Sea**

After the excitement of the ship launching into the bay, the group is taken down below decks and shown to their quarters, which consists of two rooms with two sets of bunks to a room, no doors, and no privacy. The captain demands that Rauros be kept in the cargo area, which the bear takes offense to. He growls at her in disdain, but she growls back, and wins out. Captain Kamara also tells them that the extra cot in one room will not go vacant; one of her crew would be bunking with them. Tarian volunteers to have the crew member in his room, hoping that they might be willing to give him news or useful information. Lo and Mastodon take the other bunks in their room, making the occupants of the other room to be Myne, Poppet, Alex, and Roth. Alex is content to not wear his heavy armor, and secures the pieces in a large lock box next to his selected bunk.

The first five days are uneventful: the ship stays a few dozen miles off the shore to avoid the ice buildup, and as the days go by, the weather improves. The cold, biting air of the north is replaced with more temperate weather, and the group can finally remove their cold weather gear. Life aboard the ship is quiet; the crew go about their work, they welcome Lo's music when he plays for them, and the most eventful thing to take place might be a swollen eye over a lost game of cards.

Myne takes the opportunity to have Poppet examine the bow that she pulled off the forest drake she killed in Kassen, wanting to know if the weapon would be of value to the party; to Roth in particular. Poppet tells her that it is a magical compound longbow, and despite the fact that Roth already possesses a valuable bow taken off of the masked leader Tyrion, this one might match it in effectiveness. Myne is pleased with Poppet's assessment, taking the bow back and contemplating the best time she might present the bow as a gift to the ranger.

She was beginning to admit to herself what she felt for Roth, and now that it was a part of her consciousness she was having a hard time controlling it. Thinking about him now sent her heart fluttering, and when he looked at her she blushed uncontrollably. They had been constant companions of like minds and hearts on this journey from the beginning, and she would follow Roth in any situation. The special instances she brought to mind included the night they spent camping alone outside Ano Liosia, and the day and part of the night in the Temple of Pharast that they spent in the garden relaxing, and planning out the next leg of their journey in Roth's room. They were both instances of companionship and friendship, but she hoped that maybe Roth was starting to feel the same, she just needed a way to show him how she felt.

 **28th of Calistril: Lo's 19th Birthday**

As the work of the day ends, the group and much of the crew make their way to the crew's quarters to play cards and have some beers to enjoy the evening. What they find when they enter the common area is Lo, already tipsy from a few drinks, sitting in a corner playing his lute while wearing nothing but his breeches, the captain's hat, his rich yellow eyebrows, and a grin.

When he sees some of the crew enter, he greets them with a, "Oh hey guys! I've already pre-gamed a bit * _hiccup_ * but it's my 19th birthday and I'm celebrating in style. Join me for a few beers and I'll play for ya!"

The group and crew smiles at the thought of entertainment for the night, and the celebration of their amorous compatriot. They all grab themselves a round, toasting to the health of the bard. Ellete takes on the task of performing with enthusiasm, and dances in air to Lo's melodies while taking swigs of beer from a thimble at various intervals. She occasionally stands on his head to join him in the tune as well, playing her flute with such tenacity that they can see her tiny chest heaving from the effort.

When Lo decides to take a break from performing, a game of poker amongst the crew and some of the group forms. Seeing that most of the group and crew have already had a few drinks, everyone agrees to play for clothing, rather than money. The group starts to ante up, and those that are not completely drunk or modest are weeded out from the drunks and exhibitionists. The participating crew members include the half-elf twins Arhana and Delqwyn, and the dwarf Ridda. Mastodon is still up for drinks but not cards, so he takes up a seat at a nearby table to watch the fun.

Tarian starts to enthusiastically shuffle the cards with a grin, and Myne hesitantly joins the table saying, "I don't know how to play but if someone will teach me…"

Poppet, despite some begging and pleading from the table says, "It's tempting but I think I'm done for the night."

As she says this Ellete proclaims that she is in for the game, and waves a good night to Poppet. Considering that the little azata is only wearing a scrap of clothing as a skirt, Poppet anticipates a short night for her. She blows a happy birthday kiss at Lo, and makes her exit. Alex and Roth had been quietly enjoying the company and entertainment as well, but in a much tamer fashion with far fewer drinks. At the mention of cards, they too begin to take their leave, but as the women look around and realize there are only two men at the table, they beg and plead for the two to stay for the game.

The twins shout out to Alex, "Let's see what the holy has given you!" but Alex firmly and gracefully declines.

Roth is quieter about it, simply smiling and giving the table a wave good night, his eyes lingering slightly on the begging Myne, and both he and Alex wish Lo a happy birthday as they follow Poppet out.

Despite her best efforts and the help of others teaching her the game, Myne is out first when she runs out of all her clothing save her stone choker and her shirt with the sleeves cut off that barely covers her bottom. She gathers up her lost clothing, and gives a tipsy bow to Lo (unintentionally giving him a little show), and leaves the others to finish the game. Lo, having started without much clothing, is quickly reduced to nothing despite having rather good bluffing skills. He exudes absolute self-confidence as he fully displays himself to those that are still conscious participants of the revelry. The twins have also been reduced to nothing at approximately the same time, and given the number of drinks that have been consumed, so have their inhibitions.

Lo sees an opportunity and says with his best come-hither eyes and a deep purr like a large cat on the prowl, "Well ladies, we regrettably seem to be out of this match, how about we leave this party and finish off the night a bit more privately?"

The twins give each other and Lo an appraising once-over, and in unison they nod in agreement. The rest of the strip poker players give Lo cheers and whistles as he strolls out of the common area with one half-elf on each arm. Mastodon is shaking with laughter from the spectacle, and all that remains of the players is Ellete, Tarian, and Ridda. The rest of the game spins out of control as Tarian is caught cheating by Ridda. She jumps over the table in nothing but her panties and tackles the rogue, giving him a firm punch in the kidney before it devolves into a make-out session on the floor. Ellete declares herself the winner, being the only person still conscious and clothed at the table, with Mastodon being her only 'living' witness. The little azata had not lost one hand, which was a good thing since she had only one piece of clothing on.

Lo and the half-elves make their way up to the deck, trying to find a spot of semi-privacy, considering the tight and rather public sleeping quarters for the crew. Lo takes a bleary-eyed peek at the helm, and sees the curvy figure of Sasha Morningglade, an elven sailor that Lo had given a few rakish smiles to before this evening.

She seemed rather receptive to him despite the fact that he had not closed the deal with her, and he grins as he thinks, _Well I can only do so much in six days…_

He guides the twins towards the helm with a few kisses and caresses along the way, and they giggle and happily reciprocate.

He turns to them, and with a head nod in the direction of Sasha says, "You mind if we try to grab a fourth?"

The twins take the lead from him, and Arhana says with a smile, "Oh Sasha is game, we've played with her before. It gets lonely on night helm."

At this remark, it is Lo's turn to giggle like a giddy schoolgirl as the threesome make their way to the helm.

Sasha sees them approach with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation, and when they are within reach of her Delqwyn gives Sasha a smile and says, "We've brought a third for tonight; it's his birthday. You bored?"

Lo barely makes it off the helm in one piece. The elves kept him on his toes, and he shakily makes his way back to his quarters to finally get some rest as the purple pre-dawn light creeps across the sky. His wrists hurt from where the girls had tied him to the wheel, and he was pretty sure he was going to have a few lasting marks from love bites.

He collapses on the bunk in a sweaty heap, grinning himself to sleep as he thinks, _Happy birthday to me...now I just have to get that hottie drow on night crow's nest in my lap...mmmm Kelfein._

 **2nd of Pharast:** **The Element of Air Catches Up**

 _ **Gifts on Calm Seas**_

The sun begins to set on another uneventful day at sea, and soon night would envelop the ship. Tarian had taken to climbing for exercise and entertainment, and is currently enjoying the view and the company of Delqwyn in the crow's nest. Alex meanders around the ship in simple travel clothes, keeping his eyes out for the ship and crew's well-being. Lo is in the galley playing music with Ellete and having a couple beers. Mastodon is also in the galley enjoying both the music and the beers, still refusing to remove his full armor.

Roth heads out to the bow of the ship, enjoying the view and letting his senses take over: he listens to the waves crash against the bow, smells the salt in the air, and feels the wet spray on his face. It is a sensation that he is still not accustomed to, but he takes every opportunity to log the senses into his memory. Myne, seeing his silhouette on the bow alone, decides to take advantage of the opportunity, and takes a deep breath before approaching the elf with the longbow in hand. She gives a little cough to alert Roth to her approach, and he turns away from the sea to watch her come towards him. She smiles when he turns to her, and begins to blush under his gaze.

When she reaches his side, she says, "Hi Roth, it's a nice night. I…I have something I want to give to you."

She presents the beautiful longbow to him, and tells him of its magical properties that Poppet assessed it to have as he accepts and examines the gift.

The blush that started at her cheeks creeps down her neck as she says, "I hope you like it… I found it on the forest drake that I killed in Kassen. It has lovely engravings of leaves, and I would really like you to have it."

Roth smiles at Myne, holding the new longbow with care and says, "Myne, thank you. This is a wonderful gift."

As he looks at her, he seems to want to say more, but a flash of light off the bow pulls his attention away from her. In the distance, they see strikes of lightning. Myne looks at the number of strikes, and the way the waves begin to push against the ship, and knows that they are about to be caught up in a violent storm.

 _ **The Storm Approaches**_

Up in the crow's nest, Tarian watches as the wind whips the flag around, and Delqwyn shouts down to the first mate Pythos, who rushes below deck to alert the captain of the approaching storm. She rushes up to the deck, and looks out at the flashes of lightning and surge of water.

She shouts to her crew, "It's coming for us, we can't avoid it! Bring up the sails and prepare for a storm!"

The crew jumps into action in order to prepare the ship for the onslaught. Roth rushes off the bow and Tarian climbs down from the crow's nest to help finish off the ropes with the crew. Myne drops to her knees to pray to Gozreh, Poppet casts Companion Life Link on Ellete, and Lo brings his uplifting music up to the deck. It occurs to Myne that she does not want Rauros below deck if the storm should take the ship, so she rushes down to bring him up. Along the way, she runs into Alex who is busy securing things in the crew's areas. Upon seeing Myne, he desperately tries to grab hold of her with every intention of locking her away in a room.

He shouts out to her, "Myne, I don't want to lose you like I lost Sara! I want you to stay safe, can you just stay down here?"

She looks at him incredulously and says, "Are you insane, we are needed up there, you're not locking me below deck!"

She breaks free of his grasp, and grabs Rauros from the cargo area. She bypasses Alex again on the way up, and manages to avoid his grasp again.

She shouts at him again, "Stop with the heroics, we don't have time for this!"

By the time Myne comes back up to the deck with Rauros, it has started to rain, and everyone feels the front move in with a gust of wind and approaching lightning.

Fearing being thrown overboard, Poppet ties herself to the mast of the ship for security. The wind is strong, and the waves come crashing against the ship with more ferocity. The ship is being bucked around by the wind and waves, and Captain Kamara has her hands full at the wheel, holding tight to the handles with gritted teeth. Alex appears above deck, sees the captain struggling with the wheel, and rushes to the helm to help her keep the ship turned inward. Alex holds the wheel with the captain, and they strain against the violent force of a huge wave, trying to steer into the wave, but the strength of it is too much for Alex and the captain. The wheel slips out of their grasp, and spins out of their control.

The wave slams against the ship, which tips violently in response. Rauros and Poppet go sliding across the deck, unable to keep their footing. They both slam against the railing, but since Poppet is tied off to the mast she manages to pull herself up. Rauros is not so lucky; his paws slip under the wet deck, and he topples overboard into the violent sea. Seeing the bear go overboard, Alex rushes forward and ties himself off to the mast. He then sprints for the edge of the boat as fast as he can. Lo sees what he is attempting and tries grease the deck with a spell to make him slip, but Alex keeps his balance. Poppet also sees what he is attempting and casts Enlarge Person on him as he jumps the railing. When he lands in the water, he is unprepared for the violence and strength of the waves, and instead of being of any use in the water, he finds himself being simply pulled along by the rope that he had tied himself off to. Meanwhile, Myne shouts to her companion, turns into a giant falcon, and swoops down to find Rauros. Despite the violent winds that pull at her wings, she manages to find Rauros and keep herself airborne. She snatches the bear out of the water while Mastodon and Roth pull Alex up by the rope. Everyone lands on the deck drenched but safe as the ship rights itself from the wave.

A large crack of lightning splits the sky above the ship, and the immediate thunderclap shakes them. They look up and realize that the main mast has taken the lightning strike, and slowly it rocks and then falls over, slamming into the deck of the ship. Most of the group are able to move out of the way of the mast as it hits the ship, and then avoid the shower of splinters that follows. When the deck opens up underneath the mast where it fell, Alex takes some damage when he falls one floor down. The crew members that were up in the sails are injured from the fall, and there are other members of the crew that are also suffering from the mast's crash to the deck. Delqwyn is badly burned from the strike, and Roth picks her up and takes her below deck. She is alive but injured, and would need treatment when they could get the ship back under control. As Roth rushes below deck to keep her safe, the rest of the group looks up to where the mast was standing, and sees that there is a swirling mass of air moving unlike any naturally occurring breeze or current. Ellete knows that it is an Air Elemental, and shouts this out to the rest of the group: it is a living thing, made of air with no weaknesses and some protection against damage. It looks menacingly around on the deck, and strikes.

 _ **Fighting an Element**_

The air elemental booms out in a language that only Poppet can understand, saying, "Get out of my domain!"

It slams into Poppet, hitting her hard for being made of only air. After recovering from the blow, Poppet tries to speak to the elemental in Oran, but it seems to be unwilling to heed her. She casts Heroism on Rauros, knowing that the bear has been formidable in past fights. Mastodon swings his great sword and lands the first hit while Lo sings the song of his people, granting Courage to the group. Tarian attempts a hit with his rapier that misses while Alex unties himself from the mast to rush below deck and get his sword. Roth scoops up another injured sailor and takes them below deck while Myne shapeshifts into a grizzly bear and Rauros charges forward but misses with all his attacks.

The air elemental focuses on Mastodon, the only person in the group to land an attack thus far. He is battered around by the force of the elemental's blows, and Poppet casts Enlarge Person on Mastodon while Ellete smacks him with a Cure Moderate Wounds. Mastodon hits the elemental with another swing, and Lo summons another air elemental to fight for them. Tarian's rapier misses its mark again, while below deck Alex grabs his sword and shield and rams his helmet on his head (he has no time for the armor). Seeing a couple crew members safe, Roth turns his attention to the air elemental and looses two arrows at it. Myne and Rauros both claw savagely at the elemental doing damage.

Suddenly, the boat rocks violently from an oncoming wave, and Alex is slammed into a wall below deck, and Myne slides across the deck. As she is about to go overboard, she digs her claws into the wood, and manages to hold on. The air elemental hits Mastodon again while Poppet casts Cure Serious Wounds through Ellete, and Ellete in turn attempts a Star-light Blast that misses. Mastodon swings and misses, and his sword slams into the deck, getting stuck in the wood. Lo casts Lesser Confusion, and the air elemental babbles incoherently under the spell. Tarian tries to assess whether there is a way to appease the elemental, but it appears that the only option would be to leave the storm, which would be impossible for the ship in its state. He stabs with his rapier, hitting the elemental while Alex makes it back on deck ready to fight. Roth hits with one arrow while Myne rushes back to the fight and Rauros tears into the elemental.

The boat rocks again, and this time it is Rauros that loses his balance, sliding across the deck and catching himself before going overboard. The air elemental can still only babble incoherently while Poppet casts Mage Armor on the approaching Alex. Mastodon hits the elemental heavily after pulling his sword out of the deck, and Lo looks for something to throw at the elemental. He finds a piece of wood from the mast and chucks it at the elemental, but it misses while his air elemental hits. Tarian, Alex, and Roth all miss their attacks while Myne manages to bite at it.

The air elemental regains its senses and hits Mastodon in a heavy blast of fury, nearly bringing the barbarian to his knees. Poppet heals some of his wounds while Ellete attempts to cast Lesser Confusion on the elemental, which fails. Mastodon swings his sword and lands another heavy hit while Lo casts Slow on the elemental. Tarian and Alex both lands blows, and Roth lands one well-aimed arrow. Myne and Rauros both land one claw and bite the elemental as well.

The air elemental looks ragged, and it seems to be breaking apart in the same way that a storm looks when it has lost all its power. It takes a heavy and desperate swing at Myne while Poppet casts Cure Moderate Wounds on Mastodon. Mastodon manages to connect a hit on his second swing while Lo chucks another piece of wood at the elemental in desperation. His air elemental and Tarian both miss, while Alex hits with two swings of his sword. Roth hits with another arrow, and the elemental dissipates into nothing.

Despite the elemental being defeated, the storm that it rode in on lasts throughout the night. The rain and wind lash out at the ship, blowing and shifting anything that is not buckled down. It is a restless night, with no sleep for anyone as they fight their way out of the storm.

 **3rd-12th of Pharast:** **The Duchess of Wati's Recovery**

When morning finally breaks along with the storm, the crew is able to assess the damage of the night before. The crew is exhausted but spend the morning repairing the most heavily-damaged parts of the ship. It is hard manual labor but they succeed in getting water out of the cargo hold, and put a temporary deck over the hole where the mast broke through. The group also spends time healing the wounded and making them as comfortable as possible. Captain Kamara announces to them that with the damage to the main mast, their trip will be delayed by a few days, but that they should still be able to make it to the Harbor of Anessi on the island of Portilla. Once the ship is under way, the crew spends the rest of the day trying to recover their strength for the rest of the voyage. Ellete convinces the captain to allow Rauros to stay on the deck instead of in the cargo area, owing to the bear's tenacity while fighting the elemental, although she still does not give in to allowing the bear into the cabin areas.

The next ten days of travel go by as uneventfully as they can hope, and the weather improves to such an extent that they feel the warmth of summer days. Poppet spends time crafting potions, while Myne succeeds in only burning hers. Myne also spends some time during her day transforming into a gull and flying alongside the ship, relishing the weather and sights while airborne. The main mast is slowly disassembled and the deck is cleaned up as best as they can manage, and they eagerly await their arrival in Portilla to repair the mast and get some well-deserved shore leave.


	37. Voyage to Isidore: 13th-17th of Pharast

**13th of Pharast:** **Portilla Sends Its Regards**

 _ **A Summer's Day to Enjoy**_

The weather is perfect as the ship sails along: there is not a cloud in the sky, the sun radiates the warmth of a summer day, and the sea mildly pushes the ship at a steady pace. The group is finding new ways to enjoy the day: Alex tries to make himself useful in nothing but his breeches, enthusiastically mopping the deck while taking in the sun. Poppet strolls along the deck taking in the sights (including the shirtless Alex), and enjoying the warm breeze on her face. Whenever she has downtime like this, she immediately thinks of her cards; they gave her a sense of order and purpose when doing readings, but she did not feel comfortable taking them out in front of the rest of the crew, so she folds and spreads her fingers incessantly. Lo attempts some fishing, and Tarian sits with Mastodon in the hopes of picking up some of the Kishian language.

Myne decides she wants to go for a flight, and as she contemplates turning into a gull again she catches Roth's eye. He smiles at her, and a thought occurs to her. She approaches Roth, and with a grin, asks him if he wants to go for a flight. She knew that the ranger would enjoy seeing more of the sea, and a bird's eye view was the best way to do so. Along with being a nice flight they could also scout ahead and explore the seas. Roth gives her a grin, knowing that the druid could carry him in one of her forms. She had been getting better and better at it; her crowning achievement being a giant falcon that she transformed into to fly to Kassen, even carrying Rauros with her. Even though Roth was light, he thinks of the burden of being carried, so he asks Myne for a moment to remove his outer armor, and rushes below deck. A couple of minutes later he is back with just his light clothing on, and his new bow and a single quiver of arrows, grinning with excitement.

Myne transforms into a giant falcon, and Roth climbs on, making himself as secure as possible. She takes off into the sky, with Roth hanging on tight: the sensation of flight is new to him, but he is filled with the exhilaration of it as he looks down on the sea, feels the wind in his hair, and experiences the stomach-dropping sensation when they are picked up by a current of air. He soon gets comfortable with being a passenger, and is able to hang on with only his legs, enabling him to look out far ahead of them. He sees a formation on the horizon, and points it out to Myne, who gives him a blink and heads for the object Roth pointed out. When they get closer to the formation, they see that it is a small beach island, and with a shared look at each other they decide to land and check it out.

The island is small and seemingly deserted; Myne transforms back into herself to feel the soft, warm sand on her feet, and she and Roth stroll along the beach side by side in silence. The two had spent many hours together alone, preferring the company of the other over the rest of the party, and they always seemed to fill the time with silent companionship as they each enjoyed their surroundings and the presence of the other. They break the silence when Myne sees something lodged in the sand. When she pulls it out of the sand to examine, she sees that it is an ivory drinking horn with copper ends.

As Roth leans over to examine the horn, Myne looks up at him, and they have a moment where time seems to slow down as they look at each other. The ranger and the druid: the head and heart of the wild. Myne takes a shuddering breath, and tries to say something, but the moment is gone as something on the horizon catches Roth's attention. She follows Roth's gaze and sees what he sees: a strange patch of fog in the direction of where their ship should be.

Roth says in a quiet voice, "There is not a cloud in the sky; that fog is not natural. I think we need to fly back, immediately."

Myne sighs, "I agree. But this was nice while it lasted."

She shapeshifts, Roth jumps on, and they take off into the sky as fast as Myne can fly.

 _ **The Ship in the Fog**_

Aboard _The Duchess of Wati_ , the group and crew see the mysterious fog creeping up from behind the ship, and they also see it with some apprehension, considering how nice the day has been. Alex does not detect evil forces, but Poppet can feel the magic in the fog as it begins to creep closer to the ship.

Pythos is at the helm, and when he sees the fog he shouts out, "I have never seen anything like that, it's moving faster than we are!"

Soon the fog overtakes the ship entirely, and they are lost in it, unable to see much of anything past it. Poppet feels the strong magic envelop her, and she shivers with anticipation.

Captain Kamara looks around shifty-eyed and says, "I know this fog...keep your eyes peeled; we may not be alone in these waters."

Suddenly, Alex detects an evil presence behind the ship: the fog was magical, and an evil presence was hiding in it. Considering the other dangers they had experienced at sea, the group heads to their quarters to put on their gear and prepare for anything that might be in the fog with them.

Suddenly, Ellete shouts out that she sees the outline of an approaching ship, and soon it is close enough for them all to make out the flag: black cloth with the symbol of a white squid, its tentacles spread out in all directions.

Captain Kamara has an annoyed expression as she eyes the flag and says, "That squid-faced bastard! Prepare for attack, they will likely try to board the ship! That is the _Lady Sedna_ , and I know her captain well. Do not let him get inside your mind!"

Tarian drinks a Potion of Countless Eyes, and stealths behind some barrels to wait for the right moment to strike. Poppet casts Life Pact on the group, and then Heroism and Mage Armor on Alex, Enlarge Person on Mastodon, Nereid's Grace on herself, and Companion Life Link on Ellete. She felt as prepared as she could be considering they had not even seen their enemies yet, and waits hesitantly for them to show themselves.

The crew and group do not have long to wait; the ship creeps closer, and when they are within boarding distance they see a line of pirates about to swing over to their ship when in range, shouting and brandishing their weapons menacingly at the group.

Captain Kamara shouts to the crew, "I need either their captain or first mate taken alive, I want answers!"

As she shouts this, the pirates from the other ship begin to swing over and board, and Tarian, Poppet, and Ellete spot an imposing figure standing at the helm of the other ship clothed in black robes with tentacles hanging down from his jaws and sporting long fingers and claws for hands.

Captain Kamara shouts out as she points, "That be Captain Bruzo, watch yourselves!"

It is this creature that makes the first attack.

Alex feels an immense amount of pressure and evil trying to invade his mind, but he manages to fend it off. When he shakes it off he drops to his knees to say a prayer to Iomedae. Poppet casts Fortune on Mastodon, and Ellete attempts to cast Starlight on Bruzo, but it misses. Three pirates come at the group, one attacks Poppet, and the other two miss Alex and Mastodon. Tarian readies an action to shoot Bruzo when he gets a clear shot while Lo casts a zone of Confusion on Bruzo. The confusion affects everyone nearby, including the dozens of pirates that are still on the ship. In their confusion, they begin to attack each other. Tarian takes his shot at Bruzo and hits in a vital spot, making Bruzo bleed. Alex attacks the pirate on him and hits once, and then gives a pause as he sees a giant looming shadow over him. Through the crowd of people, a large hulk of a man holding a giant spear is making his way through the mass of pirates. Upon seeing Alex, he lunges out, but misses. Roth and Myne are flying fast towards the fog, unsure of what they will find when they arrive but preparing for the worst. Back on the ship, Rauros attacks and kills the pirate attacking Poppet, and Mastodon kills the pirate attacking him.

Bruzo decides to concentrate his efforts on a new target, and gets into Lo's mind. He makes Lo fear that everyone around him is an enemy, and Lo shrinks in fear from the crowd of enemies surrounding him. Poppet senses some kind of ward around Bruzo, at least shielding him from martial weapons, and casts Dispel Magic on him, removing a shield that had been blocking some of the damage he would have sustained. Ellete then casts Lesser Confusion on Bruzo, but it fails. The pirate attacking Alex hits him with his scimitar, and another pirate pushes through the crowd to attack a paranoid Lo, who tries to swing wildly at the adversary but misses. The pirate does not miss his attack on Lo, while Tarian tries to fire another crossbow bolt at Bruzo but misses. In his paranoia, Lo tries to run away from the pirate, who takes a swing at him as he runs. In his panic, he lashes out at Rauros who is fighting nearby, Blinding the bear permanently. Alex hits and kills the pirate that he is fighting, and the looming figure misses with his spear against Alex as well. As Myne and Roth strain to reach the fog, they begin to see the outlines of objects from within, and Roth readies his arrows to launch an air assault on whatever they find. Meanwhile, although Rauros is now blind, he still manages to use his senses to root out another pirate and kill him with a flurry of blows from his claws and jaws. Mastodon attacks another pirate that has joined the melee and kills him with one savage blow as well.

Bruzo sees Mastodon's destructive force against his crew and jumps to his mind. He burrows deep and plants a throbbing headache that cripples the barbarian. Mastodon screams out in agony and grabs his head as he tries to get control of the pain. Seeing the damage that the charmed Lo has done to Rauros, Poppet quickly casts Dispel Magic on Lo as he crouches in a corner. Ellete casts Cure Light Wounds on him as he seems to lift from the paranoid fog. The pirate chasing Lo catches up to him as he regains his senses and hits Lo hard. Tarian takes another well-aimed shot at Bruzo with the crossbow, hitting him square in the chest. Lo casts Hold Person on the pirate attacking him, making the pirate freeze where he stands. Alex shouts out to Kamara who is fighting nearby, and points at the looming figure, wanting confirmation that this hulk of a man was the first mate.

She nods the affirmative and shouts, "That be Tyr Durian, first mate!" and Alex takes careful swings with his sword to disable the pirate rather than kill him.

In response to the blows Alex deals to the first mate, he shouts out, "You! I will crush you!" and swings his spear, this time connecting with Alex.

Roth and Myne fly into view and witness the chaos of the melee between the two ships below. Myne takes a quick arc to view everything about the fight that they can, and they immediately pick out the malevolent figure on the opposite ship. Roth takes aim at him, and fires off two arrows that land in the wood with a * _thunk*_ at Bruzo's feet; the adjustment to this new mode of fighting while mounted is too much to hope for a perfect shot, and he gives a grunt of displeasure at missing the surprise air attack opportunity. As they fly directly over Bruzo, Myne is happy that she can still cast her spells in her animal form, and casts Summon Nature's Ally IV, summoning a Giant Scorpion in midair. When gravity catches up to it, the scorpion drops out of the sky to land on top of Bruzo, and in agitation it begins snapping its claws and stinger at the shocked Bruzo. On the ground, Rauros attacks another pirate, seemingly unaffected by the blindness in his rage to seek out new targets. Mastodon, being freed up from the last pirate that lays dead at his feet, decides to make his way over to the other ship to take out the captain. He grabs hold of a nearby rope, and attempts to swing over, but he fouls up his swing horribly, and must land back on the ship he started on to avoid falling into the sea.

Enraged at the sudden air attack, Bruzo looks skyward at the falcon and the ranger riding astride it, and concentrates his efforts on the falcon, _Take one out, and they both fall_.

Without notice, Roth is suddenly sitting on top of Myne's shoulders in her half-elf form. Roth takes one look at her as she starts to fall out from underneath him, and he sees that she is pale white and unconscious. Roth lets out a scream for Myne, and grabs hold of her with his legs, wrapping them underneath her arms; she feels limp and lifeless underneath him. As they fall out of the sky towards the rigging, Roth tries to grab hold of any part of the ship he can to lessen the fall. He manages to snag part of the sail, but he loses his grip and they fall with a * _thud_ * to the deck of the enemy ship.

Poppet watches in horror as Myne and Roth fall out of the sky and land on the deck of the enemy ship in a heap. Through Ellete she casts Silent Image, creating the illusion of part of the sails and rigging falling in between her comrades and Bruzo, blocking their bodies from his view. Poppet then sends Ellete out to the other ship to check Myne and Roth's conditions. Ellete looks at Roth first, who seems to be slowly coming to: she hears him let out a groan of pain. Ellete flutters around Myne's pale and still body; she appears to be dead, but as Ellete checks her over more closely she sees that Myne might be alive, just in some kind of deathlike state. Tarian gasps as he sees Myne and Roth drop out of the sky, and redoubles his efforts to take down Bruzo, but his shot misses. Lo continues to play Inspire Courage while the pirate that was trying to attack him stays in his frozen state next to him. Alex smacks the first mate with the pommel of his sword, landing a heavy blow to the side of the man's head. Roth slowly comes to, and gets up to his hands and knees, shaking off the pain from the fall. He looks around and sees Ellete hovering over the body of Myne and immediately looks to the azata for answers.

The little azata shouts above the din, "She might still be alive, ranger!"

Her words send a wave of relief through Roth, but shouting and the sounds of fighting from around him brings him to his senses, and he shouts back to Ellete, "We have to find a defendable position!"

He pulls Myne's limp body to a well-hidden corner of the ship and stands in front of her, drawing his bow to defend Myne and Ellete. Up at the helm, the scorpion strikes Bruzo with its stinger, and Rauros slashes through another pirate. Mastodon makes a successful swing to the other ship, and begins to run towards Bruzo.

The scorpion irritates Bruzo to no end, and the fact that he could no longer view his fallen prey through the illusion was enough to set him on edge. With a blast of psychic power, he throws the scorpion in the general direction of Myne, Roth, and Ellete. The scorpion flies through the illusion, making it disappear, and Roth pulls Myne out of the way of the incoming scorpion just in time. It flies over the edge of the ship, dropping into the water. Poppet rushes over to Lo to heal him, and the pirate next to him continues to be frozen in place. With the illusion gone, Tarian takes a better shot at Bruzo. While playing his lute, Lo pulls out a dagger and stabs the frozen pirate in the face, never missing a note during the coup de grace. Alex smacks the first mate with the flat side of his sword, dropping the huge man to the ground unconscious.

Alex shouts out to Kamara, "Captain, he's down!"

Roth takes a shot at Bruzo, landing an arrow on him while Rauros kills the last pirate on their ship. Mastodon reaches Bruzo, but his swing is so wildly off that his sword flies out of his hands, and across the ship, landing with a clang far out of reach.

Seeing one part of his fallen prey alive, Bruzo decides to focus his energy on Roth again, getting into his mind and delivering piercing pain to his head. Roth screams as the pain takes over, making him see stars. Poppet casts a cure spell on Roth through Ellete while Tarian swings to the other ship, firing an arrow that misses Bruzo. Lo casts Blind on Bruzo, and he screams as he loses his sight, on top of already looking ragged from the blows he sustained thus far. Suddenly, a gun blast rings out, and Bruzo's head explodes all over his ship. The group looks around for the sound of the blast, and sees Captain Kamara holding a smoking pistol in her hand.

With every pirate from the invading ship incapacitated or dead, the group moves quickly to swing to the _Lady Sedna_. Alex's swing over nearly ends in disaster, but Mastodon pulls him up, and they all rush over to Myne, Roth, and Ellete. From Ellete's assessment, Poppet is hopeful that the half-elf is still alive, despite her appearance. Poppet looks her over, and sees that she is under a necromantic spell, in a catatonic coma that has every appearance of death that lasts for hours.

Poppet reassures the worried group by saying, "She's fine, she is under a spell that she just has to sleep off. Get her comfortable, and by tomorrow she should wake up. In the meantime, I need to rest so that I can recover my magic and heal Rauros's blindness."

When Myne's condition is disclosed, Tarian turns to Captain Kamara and asks her about who will take over control of the _Lady Sedna_.

Tarian tries to negotiate for the ownership of the vessel, trying to claim a share of what was fought for, but Captain Kamara refuses to even hear his request, "Pythos will be taking this ship, and it will sail alongside the _Duchess_ back to Portilla. The president owns this ship; Portilla controls all these shipping lanes."

Tarian pushes again for some part of the ship, saying, "We helped procure the ship for the President then, should we not expect some kind of compensation?"

Kamara grins and says, "Mr. Griffin is President of Portilla, and he controls all shipping lanes, as well as the pirate activity. Normally I have a contract to go to and fro as I please, which I am in possession of right now. This is why I wanted the first mate alive, Bruzo would have been difficult. I want answers, I want to know why my contract is not being honored."

Tarian asks, "Is there anything that we can do to aid you in finding out information regarding your contract, then?"

"No, this is between me and the President...my husband."

She looks down again at the forlorn body of Myne, giving the group time to give a wide-eyed look at the Captain at her remark, and says, "We should not attempt to move her to my ship. Since this vessel is now under my control, she can rest in the crew's quarters on this ship. Both are going to the same place now. I suggest you decide who will stay on each ship. Once we get underway again we shan't be stopping until we reach Portilla."

Roth picks up Myne in his arms and says, "I'll take her to the cabin area, I think I'd like to stay with her on this ship as well."

Tarian steps forward saying, "I'll help you get her to the cabins."

Roth and Tarian take Myne below deck, and make her as comfortable as possible on one of the bunks before returning to the rest of the group. Tarian takes the opportunity to scope out possible loot on the ship on the way back to the deck, and when they reach the deck again, he watches with some jealousy as Pythos examines the body of Bruzo, pulling a chain shirt, a cloak, and a ring off him. Captain Kamara then gives Bruzo a proper Captain's send-off by putting his body in a rowboat and sending it out to the sea. Alex, Poppet, Ellete, Mastodon and Lo head back to the _Duchess_ , while Roth and Tarian follow them over to gather their gear and belongings and head back to the _Lady_.

Back on the _Duchess_ , Rauros seems to be anxious and agitated: not being able to sense Myne and being blind had made the bear fearsome to approach. Poppet reaches out tentatively, places a hand on his head and tells him that Myne is okay, but unreachable, and that she would heal him of his blindness in the morning. He seems to soften at her touch and her words, and he allows her to lead him below deck to the crew's quarters to rest. The bear had earned the right to sleep there; he had single-handedly killed five pirates. The two ships set off with their assorted passengers, and Captain Kamara is eager to see the Harbor of Anessi since she knows that it is only another five days' travel away.

 **14th of Pharast:** **Interrogations and Awakenings**

The next morning on the _Duchess_ , Poppet heals Rauros of his blindness, and the bear gleefully licks her face in thanks for the restoration of his vision. First mate Tyr is also in the land of the awake, but is unhappy about the situation, considering he is tied to a post below deck. Captain Kamara glares at him while Alex, Poppet, Lo, and Mastodon look on, knowing that an interrogation is coming.

Kamara paces around Tyr like an agitated tiger, and when she finally looks at him again, she says, "Alright. Spill it. You know who I am, you know my ship is under contract-"

Tyr grins and cuts in, " _Was_ under contract, sea wench."

Kamara gives Tyr an exasperated look and says, "Speak some sense or I start taking fingers."

Tyr laughs at Kamara and says, "Your contract was up last time you came through, and _He_ never renewed it for you."

Kamara lets out a roar of frustration and says, "Strap this shite to the bow, and see how he laughs then!"

Alex steps forward and says, "Torture is something I cannot condone."

Kamara turns on Alex and says, "He be my prisoner, _knight_ , on my ship."

Alex stands his ground and calmly says, "By my God I will not allow this."

Kamara deflates under Alex's demeanor and says, "Okay knight, you are a just individual so you decide what to do with this man."

Alex nods and says, "Captain, interrogate this man with no torture."

Kamara puts a hand up in the air, and in an offhand voice says, "I have no need of this man. I have already received all I need from him, so you do what you please."

Alex requests that he be imprisoned and treated fairly until they reach port, which Kamara agrees to, untying Tyr and leading him to a cell.

Late in the afternoon on the _Lady_ , Myne's eyes flutter open and she slowly takes time to assess her condition and location. She could not remember anything after reaching the fog with Roth, then the image of a strange cloaked figure with tentacles under its hood creeps into her mind. She shudders at the thought, and pushes it out of her mind, concentrating instead on her surroundings. She hears the sound of water around her, sees the familiar interior of the ship's crew quarters, notices that she is laying comfortably on one of the bunks with a blanket (no manacles, so at least she isn't a prisoner), and breathes a sigh of relief. She carefully rolls over and sits up; the world momentarily swims out of focus from the change of position, and when she is able to get her senses under control again she sees Roth looking back at her from his seat on the opposite bunk, wearing a relieved expression.

She smiles at him, seeing that he must have been sitting there for some time waiting for her to wake up and asks, "What did I miss?"

Roth furrows his eyebrows and says, "We thought we lost you...you looked like you were dead. Bruzo must have done something terrible. You and I… we fell out of the sky when he attacked you with some kind of mind spell. We managed to fend off the attacking ship, and Captain Kamara has taken control of it. We are on that ship now, being commanded by first mate Pythos who is following the _Duchess_ to our destined port. A day has passed since you blacked out… how do you feel? Poppet said you would wake about now from the spell's effect, but your appearance until now has been…unnerving."

Myne stretches, and she sees a few more stars in front of her eyes, but recovers quickly saying, "I think I'm okay, I will have to take it slow today. Thank you, Roth. Was our fall out of the sky at least a graceful one?"

Roth shudders as he recalls the fall, but lets out a little laugh and says, "No, not really. Come on, let's get you something to eat and drink."

 **15th-17th of Pharast:** **The Duchess and Lady Come Home**

The rest of the time aboard the _Duchess_ and the _Lady_ passes uneventfully. The weather is perfect for sailing, and the group feels the full force of tropical, sun-soaked seas and beaches. Poppet cares for Rauros in Myne's absence, ensuring that the bear is given the attention he would normally receive under Myne's care. Myne makes a full recovery, and even takes a flight over to the other ship to see Rauros and the rest of the group.

Alex takes the time to give Myne a quick hug, saying, "You had to go flying off again, didn't you? Don't scare me, you should have just never left the ship in the first place!"

After spending time with the group, she flies back to the _Lady_ to finish the journey.


	38. Voyage to Isidore: 18th of Pharast

**18th of Pharast:** **The Harbor of Anessi & Her Emissaries**

 _ **Welcome to the Merchant City**_

In the afternoon on the 18th of Pharast, they finally dock in the Harbor of Anessi: a port that goes around the circumference of the city of Anessi, situated on an eastern-facing island that sits just offshore from the main land mass of Portilla. The capital city of Anessi is a merchant's wet dream; it is chaotic but organized with many goods exchanging hands from all parts of the known world. Shady black-market deals as well as open aired auctions are commonplace, and merchants, pirates, and merchant pirates dock in Anessi's harbor looking for a neutral place to buy, sell, trade, or go underground.

Both ships lower their planks and prepare for some well-earned shore leave.

Captain Kamara stands at the gangplank and is approached by Alex who says, "What is the plan for our departure? We are eager to reach our destination."

The Captain looks at Alex and says, "I am going to see the President to get this mess straightened out. Our departure will happen as soon as my ship is repaired, I will take no other."

As they are discussing these plans, a man walks up the gangplank to meet them. He is a stout dwarf with light blonde hair and a well kempt short beard. He is well-dressed, wearing high-quality linens.

When he approaches, he holds out his hands to Kamara saying, "Miss Kamara, I am glad you've arrived; I was certainly hoping to see you here. You are a bit behind schedule," and he eyes the ship's condition with worry.

He sighs, turns to Alex and says, "Welcome to the City of Anessi. I am Werdico Grigon, the right-hand man to the President. He would like to see you and the rest of your group at his house. When you are ready to depart, please follow me."

Alex gathers the group together from the _Duchess_ , and then meets up with Myne, Roth, and Tarian as they descended the gangplank from the _Lady_.

Shouldering their packs, they look to Werdico, who says, "Please follow me."

With Kamara and Werdico, they walk from the piers to the city proper, and it truly lives up to the name. The noise and bustle of the late afternoon is at its peak, and the group must take some effort to stay together as they make their way past stalls and open auctions.

Lo looks to Werdico to ask, "Why are we waiting on this ship, why not just take another? Can you say anything about Captain Kamara or her crew...or Captain Kamara and the President for that matter? We feel as if we're walking into a pirate's nation!"

Werdico gives Lo a look and says, "Do not pry into the President's personal matters."

Werdico continues to lead them through a maze of streets, but he seems to know where he is going. Soon he enters an open atrium, and they see a beautiful mansion with a clay tiled roof. Along with the mansion itself, there also seems to be huge expanses of gardens surrounding the house.

 _ **The President of Portilla**_

Werdico steps up to the ornate columnar front patio and knocks at the elaborate, windowed double doors. A young female cat-folk pokes her head out of the door, and when she sees Werdico she lets out a purr and opens the doors expansively. She has emerald green eyes, and is rather scantily-dressed in sheer silks, and golden jewelry adorning her arms and neck.

She smiles and says, "Mr. Grigon, our guests, and the missus is here too, mrow!"

She holds the door open, showing in the group and Kamara. Werdico bows and takes his leave, giving the group and Kamara a "good night" before departing. The cat-folk woman closes the door behind the group, and as they stand in the foyer they take in the lavishly decorated mansion. The lofty ceilings and open layout of the main floor allows the group to see much of the mansion in one eye sweep: there are gold decorations on columns, large motif paintings hanging on the walls, and freestanding sculptures of cherubic figures in little or no clothing.

She smiles at them and says, "Wait here a moment, I will see if he is ready to see you."

She saunters away into the mansion, and as soon as she is out of earshot Alex walks over to Lo and Tarian with a glare saying, "Don't even think about it."

The cat-folk returns, escorting an older, well-dressed half-elf gentleman that the group recognizes as he approaches.

Edward Felstadt gives them a smile and says, "Ah, Pathfinders. Our paths cross again."

Tarian bows and says, "It is good to see you. What brings you here?"

Edward says, "I had business with the President. Unfortunately, I cannot stay, I have other business to attend to."

He looks at the group, seeming to notice differences and says, "One is not here…"

Myne lowers her head and says, "She is not with us anymore."

Edward deflates slightly and says, "I'm sorry to hear that."

He turns to the cat-folk and says, "Rylia, a pleasure as always."

She blushes as he turns to the group and says, "May our paths cross again," and he takes his leave.

Rylia looks at the group and says, "The President will see you now, please follow me."

They follow Rylia through the mansion, her tail hypnotically swaying as she walks in front of them. They reach the back of the mansion, and exit through wide open windowed doors onto a patio with a pool. A warm breeze greets them, and they see potted plants around the patio, with an expansive garden visible further off. Something more visible is a thin but muscular man with tanned skin and bleach blonde hair lounging in a chair next to the pool. The other detail that makes the man 'visible' is the fact that his clean-shaven body is completely buck naked. Lo and Tarian had heard rumors about the President of Portilla before: the nobility of other nations did not affiliate themselves with him very often. He is eccentric, and the others consider him an embarrassment to himself and the class of leaders. Myne blushes furiously, and tries to avert her eyes in any direction other than the tanned figure.

Rylia clears her throat, gestures in the man's direction and says, "The President of Portilla, Coronal L. Griffith III."

Coronal gives a shining smile, stands, and with a warm and honeyed voice says, "Friends! Pathfinders! Welcome to my home!"

He approaches the group and begins forcibly shaking each of their hands.

He then notices Kamara standing with the group with her arms folded in front of her and gives her an even bigger smile saying, "Kamara my dear! You made it home!"

Without a word, she decks him across the face and says, "You lazy piece of shite! Your gang members attacked us! And where are your clothes?!"

Coronal recovers from the punch admirably, and says, "I'm terribly sorry my dear."

He pulls on a satin robe, but leaves the front open as Kamara continues angrily, "I had no passage, you didn't renew my contract!"

He gives her a blank look, and then dread spreads across his face as he says, "I need to go to my office!"

He gives a hurried look at the group as he begins to stride towards the patio doors and says, "I would like you all to join me for dinner, I need to pass on some things to you. My home is yours, don't hesitate to ask for anything. I have some…business to attend to at this moment!" and he briskly walks into the house with the satin robes billowing out around him and Kamara following in his wake.

Alex shouts to him, "Sir, you need to sheathe your sword!"

Myne gives him a confused look and says, "Alex, he isn't wearing a sword."

They are left in the peace and quiet by the pool, and are suddenly very self-conscious about their appearance and smell.

They each look to Rylia who smiles at them and says, "I will show you to the wash rooms where you can bathe and get a change of clothes. You will have a couple hours before you are called to dinner, so please make yourselves at home. Enjoy the pool, the gardens, or the library."

Alex arranges for a shave and a change of clothing, and the other men in the group ask for the same.

Myne looks desperately at Poppet and mouths a, "Help!"

Rylia gathers a group of servants to escort the group to the wash rooms to bathe. The men and women split into two groups to bathe and take advantage of the adjoining dressing rooms to select clothing appropriate for dinner.

 _ **Poppet & Myne: Girl Talk**_

In a private dressing room of Coronal's, Myne nervously sits on a chaise lounge in a fluffy towel as Poppet (also wrapped in a towel) browses the dresses and skirts available in the huge closet. Poppet amuses herself with the options, talking to herself about the fashions, trying to select something fitting for both her and Myne. It had been a long time since she had been exposed to these kinds of fabrics and styles, and she wanted to take her time with them.

Hesitantly, Myne speaks up from outside the closet, "Umm, how's it going in there? It looks like a forest of clothing."

Poppet pokes her head out of the closet and runs her gaze along Myne. Pursing her lips for a moment, she turns back into the closet, leaving a wave of blonde curls to twirl behind her.

"Fine!" she calls out from the racks of clothing, "Just trying to find... something..."

Myne scratches a scar on her shoulder and says, "Well how many options can there be? It's just clothing, right?"

Poppet spins out of the closet, eyes popping comically. " _Just_ clothing?!" she parrots.

Dissolving into soft giggles, she continues, "Oh, you dear little thing. Just you wait!"

After a few more minutes of rummaging, Poppet returns to Myne with a stack of fabric draped over her arm.

"Put these on!" she tells Myne, laying the bundle in her arms before disappearing back into the closet for clothes of her own.

Myne examines the pile critically, and then at the opening to the closet where Poppet had disappeared into while saying, "What, all at once?"

She gives a sigh, knowing that she needs to attempt to be presentable at dinner, at the very least to not jeopardize their standing in the city, and picks up a small linen dress. She pulls it over her head and tries to adjust it before looking at herself in the mirror.

"There's more stuff on the floor…is this what I'm supposed to look like? How do you know about all this anyway, Poppet?"

Poppet pauses a moment before rounding the wall of the closet, leaning a hip against the frame. "I've walked many paths in my life," she says, not quite meeting Myne's eye.

She has a distant look as she continues, "Though, it has been quite some time since I've had to worry about what is the latest fashion. Silks and blood never make a good combination after all."

Myne grins and says, "Tough stain to get out? I take it you were not always part of the traveling performers then?"

Poppet's gaze moves along the floors, darkening under the weight of the memories rushing through her head.

She then wrinkles her nose and shakes her head, returning her gaze to Myne before laughing, "Oh…right. My past is one of those topics that never comes up. Ever the elusive witch in our band of merry travelers."

She smiles at Myne before ducking back into the closet.

She finally gives in while hidden within the folds of clothing, "To answer your question: No… I spent much of my early life in Gangai. Though not all of it involved worrying about what finery one should wear to dinner. In fact, at a certain point I had exactly two identical sets of cream-colored livery to choose from..."

Myne approaches the doorway, carefully allowing Poppet to stay concealed in the closet and says, "I've spent my whole life in Kassen, the daughter of an herbalist, so my life does not extend much past my experiences on the road these past few months. You on the other hand seem to have lived much longer than your appearance would suggest."

Another soft laugh issues from the closet, and Poppet rounds the corner of the wall dressed in a short, silk shift. She gives Myne the most innocent look she can muster.

"Perhaps," she replies, before giving Myne a wide grin.

"I am..." she starts, losing her cocky facade and giving Myne an uncertain look.

She sighs and continues, "I am not quite what I've made myself out to be, I suppose. Though, I've never really told any of you anything. I simply let my appearance be taken at face value."

Myne admires Poppet's slight figure in a dress that seems to flow out around her legs with the aid of a mysterious breeze and says, "You look very pretty in that dress by the way. Not that I'm much of a judge but it seems to suit you."

Poppet blushes and turns to the mirror, raising her right hand and running her thumb along one of the blue tattoos over her collarbone. Her eyes find Myne in the mirror and she smiles.

Myne continues, "As for the rest of you, your recent changes make me think that you've been through much, and sometimes bringing up hardships can be daunting. But if you ever need anyone to talk to I will not judge, I will simply try to understand."

Poppet gives Myne a warm and thankful expression, saying, "I hope you know that I will attempt to do the same, Myne. It has been many years since I've placed my trust in another besides my dearest Widget, and many more years since I've formed any close bond with another woman."

She turns and regards Myne's appearance, "You know, as lovely as that dress is, how do you feel about trying on something a little more…" she pauses, looking for the right word, "...soft?"

She grabs a white, silken dress and holds it between herself and Myne, "Put this on, but find the undergarments I gave you in that pile before! No linen for you tonight!"

Poppet offers Myne a wink before grabbing a cream and gold dress from one of the piles of clothing.

Myne looks down at herself and says, "You have to wear clothes under the clothes? Gozreh help me!"

She carefully finds items that look like they will fit tight to her body, and then takes the proffered silk garment and retreats behind the screen.

As she pulls on the garments, she says to Poppet, "I've never touched this kind of fabric before. It feels like solid water."

Poppet's voice reaches her from behind the screen, "I have not had the luxury of a silk dress since I was young… I have a few scarves that I stole away from a previous life, but it's simply not the same, is it?"

Myne adjusts the skirt and emerges from behind the screen blushing and says, "No, I guess not…. I feel as if I'm not wearing anything! Were you brought up in a nice home with these kinds of luxuries?"

Poppet, now wearing the sleeveless cream dress with gold trim appraises the look in the mirror, and smiles when she sees Myne in the off-the-shoulder pure white dress, the drape in the back showing off Myne's strong, lithe figure and says, "That looks perfect, my lovely. As for my home life, I was born to nothing. At one point, I was taken in by a very affluent family. Which was nice for a time, and then it wasn't, so I left."

Eyes misted with a fog of memories, Poppet picks up a dark red scarf and winds it around her waist before twinning it up and around her arms, clasping the ends together over her left shoulder. Seating herself at a white vanity, she pulls her hair back from her temples, twisting it back before forming an elaborate bun with the mass of yellow curls.

Pulling back a few pieces loose at her ears and her neck, Poppet finally meets Myne's eyes in the mirror again, "You know, I'm used to trying to find out other people's secrets, not sharing my own," she says with an exaggerated sigh at Myne.

Seeing Myne's expression she quickly sticks her tongue out at her friend and winks before braiding a piece of hair at her neck, wrapping it around the bun and tucking the ends out of sight. She turns and regards the young Myne with an expression that suggests she is almost relieved to reveal some of who she really was. Myne, in turn, could tell that she is putting on a strong face for her, and that this mysterious figure had been hurt and alone for a long time. She steps forward and wraps her arms around Poppet, giving her a warm, comforting hug, and allows Poppet to rest her head on her chest.

She says, "I know I'm young, but I can see your pain, and I'm sorry."

She holds Poppet tight and says, "We can be sisters, you and me. I've lost the only person that I could confide in, but maybe we can be that for each other."

Stunned for a moment, Poppet tentatively wraps her arms around Myne.

She smiles and says, "I'd like that. I think. I mean, it's been a long time since I've tried, but I believe this would make me happy."

She looks up at Myne and grins, which quickly gives way to something more mischievous before she reaches up and plays with a lock of Myne's hair, "What are we doing with this?"

Myne runs a hand through her strawberry blonde hair, and grins, "I know this is going to illicit shock from you, but I don't know what else to do with it…I washed it. It's almost long enough to pull back now. I usually cut it- long hair gets caught in brambles, but I haven't cut it in months now. I know that many of Gozreh's temple priestesses keep long hair, but that seems so impractical."

Poppet giggles at her friend, "Why do you think mine is always braided or pulled back when we travel?"

Myne sighs and thinks for a moment before saying, "When I was younger my mother had a way of pulling back my hair, she called it an Anian Twist or something. She liked my hair longer, as all mothers do I guess."

Myne makes an attempt at pulling it back and twisting it, then looks around frantically for pins. She finds some in a jar on an ornate white vanity, sticks the pins in haphazardly, and then gingerly takes her hands away from her hair to see the effect. Moving around Myne and trying to hide her smile, Poppet tells Myne to sit at the vanity's cushioned bench before smoothing back the design and removing some of the pins. With a few strategically placed new pins, she manages to pull off the effect that her friend was trying to achieve, with her bangs framing her face beautifully.

"There," she says, giving Myne a soft grin, "wait until your ranger sees you now."

At the mention of Roth, Myne blushes furiously and says, "How… what… I don't know what you mean…"

Erupting into giggles, Poppet gives a conspiratorial wink, "Oh of course you don't, my dear."

Myne shudders and says, "I don't know if I can even look at him like this! He's… he's an elf, he must have seen so much of the world already. I must look like a child to him!"

Poppet sits next to Myne and nudges her with her shoulder, "The pretty little redhead that blushes every time she looks at him? I think he'll take notice all on his own."

Myne gives Poppet the kind of look that a cornered rabbit gives to the hunter and says, "I… I've never been with anyone that way before, I don't even know what to say… have you… have you ever been with someone?"

Eyes widening momentarily, Poppet tenses. Turning her head sharply towards a window, she squeezes her eyes shut and exhales heavily.

"That," she manages to stutter out after a moment, "is not something I wish to…"

She pauses, squeezing her eyes shut and attempts to answer her friend, "I… Yes, I have, but there was nothing soft or romantic about my past _encounters_."

Refusing to look back at her friend, Poppet attempts to school her features and bury the panic rising in her chest.

Myne sees the change in her friend's demeanor and says, "I didn't mean to upset you-"

"Myne," Poppet, cuts off her friend, turning back and taking her hands, "It's… fine. You did not intend to unearth old aches, and by this point in my life I really should have moved past them. I just…"

She gives her friend a tired look before continuing, "Intimacy, in that capacity, is not something that I have been comfortable with since my youth. Perhaps one day, but..."

She gives in to a playful grin before adding, "Just let me live vicariously through you, yeah?"

Myne gives her a grin back, still blushing furiously and says, "If I can even get past 'Hello,' I'll let you know how it goes. In time I hope that your wounds can heal, and maybe you too will find another."

"Maybe," Poppet mutters, leaning over to the vanity to grab a small box of makeup.

Digging through the contents, she adds offhandedly, "I've had decades to get over my issues with men, and while I still tense whenever one gets too close, I suppose I at least don't start whimpering anymore."

Missing the way Myne's eyes widen at the unintended drop of information, Poppet makes an exclamation before pulling out powders and turning on Myne, "Now, for the final touch!"

The mention of Poppet's age puts Myne's mind on edge, trying to figure out exactly what this person before her really was. Nothing fit for the races she was familiar with, and then she wonders about the strange connections that are sometimes made between very different forces. Even she was not of any one race, she was of two races.

Tentatively she says, "My mother never took another man after I was born. She's a human, and my elven father was gone before I was born. She won't tell me about him, but I don't think I was conceived out of violence…she seemed to like him. Two races often meet, and create something new, and then separate again. Are you something of the like?"

Poppet looks at her friend, surprise written over her features.

Without warning, Poppet starts laughing, curling over herself and wrapping her arms around her stomach, "Myne! You remind me too much of myself!"

She tries to contain herself before continuing, "Oh, gods! And I thought my own people liked to listen to the wind. You, my darling, could put even the most quizzical Sylph to shame!"

Grinning at Myne now, she leans over and kisses her forehead, "Yes, I'm something like that, though my father is something much more than some mortal elf."

Myne smiles at Poppet's enjoyment, and says, "I hope I'm not prying, I want to know you though, and I'd like to think that I can derive much from a situation by simply examining it. My experience does not give me much help. I have little of it, but I watch, and I listen when it interests me. So what exactly is a Sylph, since you are being generous about revealing yourself at the moment?"

"Sylphs are a subset of humanoid offspring between mortals and elementals. Specifically, my father was an air elemental of some sort."

Waving her hand as if to lessen the look in Myne's eyes, she continues, "I know nothing of him, only what my mother has mentioned. Unlike your case, however, I doubt endearment had much to do with my conception. But my mother had me, and she adored me until she passed, so I'm glad I was at least some sort of comfort for her."

Myne looks in awe at Poppet and says, "Do you feel a strong connection to the air? And exactly how old are you? You look no older than twenty, but you have spent decades on this earth already!"

"Questions, questions!" Poppet muses, working on Myne's makeup.

"I have a peculiar connection to the winds and such magic, strong emotions usually lead to me stirring the air into gusts and tempests. A most annoying habit for one that tries to keep their lineage under wraps, so to speak. As for my age," she ponders a moment, "Eighty… something? Eighty-seven, I believe. Years are kinder on my kind, as are those born to the other elementals."

She gives Myne an amused look. Myne continues to stare at Poppet, unable to imagine what it would be like to be so connected to the forces of nature, and to live for so long.

She brings her features under control again and says, "I apologize for my curiosity, but I am so glad to know who you are. I've never met anyone like you."

Poppet nods sagely and says, "I don't doubt you. Sylphs are rare, I've met only a precious few, and I know what to look for. As for your curiosity, don't worry. My race is unbearably curious, and your questions come from a good place. We've traveled together for many moons now, and I've revealed little of my own hand. You get Mastodon to tell you _his_ life's story, and then I'll be impressed!"

Myne giggles and says, "It won't happen. He makes me nervous, not that I think he'll do anything, but his demeanor is so stern and silent."

Poppet laughs, thinking back to the traveling circus days, "He will not turn on any of us without reason. He seems to have fallen on a generous source of income, and I doubt even he'll turn his nose from it. Aside from his less-than-ideal moral compass, whatever heart that man has is in the right place. He had a soft spot for the children in the caravan. Gods, I think some of them were more afraid of me than they were of the 300-pound man in constant armor!"

Myne nods and says, "That's because he is real, with a sword, something tangible. You fall outside that, you have power, but it is not as easy to define, and that makes people wary."

Poppet gives Myne a wicked-looking grin, "Oh, especially considering my former patron! Now though, no one will ever take me as frightening again. Agent of the goddess Milani, healer to those in need, followed by an adorable, little Azata…"

Poppet's eyes widen for a moment, scanning the room before hanging her head, "Oh gods, I don't know where she is."

She brings her hand to her head and rubs the bridge of her nose, " _Fuck!_ "

She sighs, "Well, nothing to do about it. She's probably causing trouble somewhere, hopefully this Coronal has a sense of humor. Though, judging by how we met him earlier, I'm sure he'll forgive whatever it is that Ellete is messing with."

"He certainly is interesting," says Myne, blushing slightly as she pictures Coronal, "but a man with this much wealth and power is one that I worry about upsetting…hence my efforts for tonight."

"And here I thought you were just indulging me, or our ranger," Poppet laughs, "But I wouldn't worry, I've heard enough about the man, and he won't be worrying whether his guests know which fork to use for which part of the meal. And you look beautiful, my dear. So hopefully he'll just be distracted."

Myne gives a shudder and says, "Well, there will be _two_ to distract him, and if I have been able to indulge you, then I am happy for it. Thank you for everything: it has been a pleasure to have a friend to talk to. I... I miss Sara terribly."

Finishing off her own makeup, Poppet winks at Myne, "Anytime my dear. I am sorry for your loss, but do not despair, we may yet bring her back. And your inquiring nature will serve you well as we try to find a solution. Though, you know _most_ of my secrets now, you haven't worked them all out yet."

Myne grins and says, "Challenge accepted."

 _ **Dining with Coronal**_

The time leading up to dinner is passed in various ways: Tarian wanders around the mansion, drumming up conversation with the servants and trying to get any news he can; Alex does his best to receive any military news by perusing documents in the library; Lo and Mastodon hang out by the pool; and Roth strolls the gardens. The girls are mysteriously missing for most of the time, only emerging from Coronal's private dressing rooms just before Rylia calls them to the dining room. At first, the men wonder how they could have been gone for such a long time doing nothing but dress themselves until they see the full extent of their efforts. They can do little more than gawk on their way to the table as they look Poppet and Myne up and down: both girls are wearing short silk dresses, revealing more of their feminine companions than they had ever seen.

Poppet appears to have a golden glow: her hair is pulled back in an elegant bun with wisps of golden curls dangling down her neckline. The sleeveless cream dress shows off her swirling light blue tattoos that drape across her collarbone and adorn her arm. As the eye travels south, the pattern continues down her left leg disappearing in curls on the top of her slippered feet. Golden bangles on her arms and ankles give her a tinkling sound when she walks. Myne's snow-white dress reveals the young half-elf's lithe body that would normally be covered in her utilitarian traveling clothes. The drape in the back of the dress shows the lines of her strong shoulders and back, and her bare legs are accentuated with sandals that strap up to her calves with satin ribbons. Her normally tousled hair is smoothed back in a twist, with her bangs hanging over her eyes in strawberry blonde fringes. The girls are both wearing smiles that suggest they know full-well how they look, and are sharing some kind of conspiracy together, but they carry themselves differently. Poppet holds herself like a lady with her chin slightly up and her eyes focused, while Myne looks more towards the floor, blushing slightly under their gazes.

They are shown to their seats by the servants who then hold their chairs, seating the ladies first and then the men. Each seat has a setting of ivory plates with gold trim and crystal glassware. There is even a golden bowl for Rauros on the floor next to them. The table has evenly-spaced candles that shine light on their dinner: large platters of roasted meats, tureens of seafood, bowls of tropical fruits, and baskets of freshly baked bread. The servants begin offering and pouring wine for the group, which only Alex declines. He requests a non-alcoholic drink, and the servant offers him a glass of pineapple juice, which he accepts with curiosity. He had never had the tropical fruit before, and he enjoys the sweet pulpy drink more than he expected.

As the servants finish pouring wine into their glasses, Coronal and Kamara finally enter the dining room about a minute apart. Kamara enters first, and takes her seat at the table with a self-satisfied air, and wearing a simple black satin dress. Coronal enters second, wearing nothing but a pair of linen pants and a stupid grin on his face. He grabs his seat at the head of the table and immediately reaches for a turkey leg. He smiles at them as he starts munching, and gestures for them to dig in as well.

They all begin selecting food for their plates, and as they do so Coronal cheerfully says, "Rylia! Bring these guys some of the good stuff!"

He nods at Tarian and Alex saying, "You two look like Old Law Whiskey drinkers, am I right?"

Alex stiffly says, "I don't drink..." while Tarian nods back enthusiastically.

They all enjoy the food and drink, and as they make their way through the food Coronal beams at them and says, "I can't thank you all enough for what you're doing. I can really get cash flowing in the east if you can get rid of this Isidorian problem."

The group exchange looks and finally Alex speaks up and says, "We have higher hopes than just trade, but we are glad that it is convenient for you."

Coronal nods and says, "Well I can tell you that this whole situation is putting a damper on my trade routes, so you guys just keep doing what you're doing! Heck, that's the whole reason I'm funding this mission, and why you have the best captain on the seas to get you there!"

He gives his wife a wink at this remark and continues, "I have some things for you to help with your mission," and ushers to his servants.

They come back into the dining room carrying various objects. The first servant carries a large iron-bound chest that he opens upon reaching the table, revealing eight potions: four Cure Moderate Wounds potions, two Cure Serious Wounds potions, a potion of Cat's Grace, and a potion of Stoneskin. The second servant comes in carrying a small wooden box, from which she pulls out a simple metal rod.

As she displays it, Coronal says, "This is not just a piece of metal. It is an Immovable Rod. You can do push-ups on that thing! There's a button on the side that holds it in place magically!"

The third servant brings out a pair of boots, and as the servant holds them up, Coronal says, "These are Boots of the Cat. They have a heel on them to make you appear taller than normal, but the real thing is that they allow the wearer to take less damage from a fall."

He rummages in his pocket and says, "Finally, from my personal collection: this is a Pirate's Eye Patch! This has magical powers, and will help you with swimming."

The group thanks him for the gifts in their own ways, and Coronal happily nods and tells them with enthusiasm to enjoy the meal and the drink.

Tarian begins to chat up Coronal about his guild, and the rest of the group sits in silence as they finish their meal. Coronal tells them that his home is theirs; that they would stay with him as personal guests until the ship can be repaired and they can continue on their way, which he anticipates taking three days. Myne stands from the table first, thanking Coronal for his gifts and retreating to the quiet of his gardens. The rest of the group stays at the table to enjoy more drink and conversation into the night, each of them leaving the table at various lengths to entertain themselves for the night.

 _ **Unseen Eyes**_

Late into the night, the dining table has finally been abandoned by all but Ellete, who is enthusiastically trying to drink the last of the wine that has been left at the table. At a small table in a den, Tarian and Lo are conversing together over another bottle of wine, laughing about their exploits over the last couple of months. Myne is in the garden enjoying the scenery, and as she strolls along, admiring the tropical flowers, she feels something over her shoulder, as if she is being watched. More than that, it makes her uncomfortable; she breathes deeply, and slowly turns. She does not see anyone in the garden with her, and she swallows her dread and tries to rationalize the feeling that takes over her thoughts. It is a persistent presence that does not retreat, and Myne begins to have half-shaped ideas of what could cause the feeling: she fears her cousin's magic more than ever as she rushes towards the house in search of Poppet, the only person that might be able to confirm her dread. Roth had also been enjoying the solitary quiet of the gardens when the bright white of Myne's dress catches his eye as she rushes toward the house, looking as if something has frightened her. He quickly searches around for a cause of the disturbance, but does not see anything that could have given her fright. He keeps his eyes on her as she runs inside, and assumes she must be seeking out Poppet. He decides to let her go alone, hoping that if she did need him that she would seek him out.

Myne runs into the house, and finds Poppet fishing Ellete out of a wine glass in the dining room. Poppet is wearing an expression of slight annoyance and exasperation, but when she sees Myne running towards her with a worried expression she carefully places the damp and wine-stained faerie on the table and gives Myne her full attention.

Myne looks around furtively and says, "Poppet can I talk to you, now, please, can we go somewhere?"

Poppet senses the half-elf's urgency and nods, saying, "Let's go to my room."

As the two make their way down the guest wing hallway, Myne feels the sensation of being watched diminish and fade, and by the time they are in Poppet's room with the door closed and bolted the feeling is gone.

Myne looks at Poppet and says, "I just spent the last five minutes feeling like I was being watched. It was awful, like someone could see me when they didn't have the right! There was no one around me, so I assume magic is at work. Please help!"

Poppet steps closer to Myne and quietly tries to detect a magical energy, but she does not feel anything any longer, "Myne, whatever it was, it is gone. I don't sense any magic around, but maybe Ellete can help in the morning when she isn't… incapacitated. You can stay here for the night if you don't want to be alone."

Myne gratefully accepts the invitation, and then pushes a dresser in front of the door as a precautionary measure before the two girls prepare for bed.


	39. Voyage to Isidore: 19th of Pharast pt 1

**19th of Pharast:** **Divine Insight and Shady Business (pt. 1)**

 _ **Alex, Roth, Tarian, and Lo: Morning Routine and Morning Deals**_

Roth is one of the first to wake, and he makes his way to the dining room for breakfast, led there by the wafting smell of cooked sausage, bacon, and eggs. Roth sits at the table, and sees Ellete draped over a wine bottle, completely passed out. He smirks as he takes a fresh linen napkin from the table and drapes it over the azata like a blanket, and then pats her gently on the head.

In response, she lifts an arm into the air and shouts, "Milani thanks you!" before dropping her arm back down at her side and going back to sleep.

Roth shakes his head, wondering at the little azata before digging into the tureens of food on the table for breakfast.

Alex wakes just as early, but prays and does his morning exercises before making his way to the dining room table where he finds Roth finishing up his plate. Roth gives Alex a companionable nod as he takes a seat at the table and begins to dish out food of his own.

As Alex begins to eat, Roth says, "I could really use a morning of sparring practice, you interested?"

Alex gives a nod with a mouthful of eggs, and after they finish breakfast they make their way out to a wide patch of grass in the garden where they each select a blunted sword to practice their martial skills.

Tarian is woken up by the sounds of combat issuing from his open window. He drags himself out of bed with his sheet to the window, and watches Roth and Alex at practice with some interest. He emerges from his room, dragging his sheet with him out to the garden to watch the sparring match from the comfort of a lawn chair. From behind him, he hears the rough screech of a wooden chair being dragged across the stone and sees Coronal wearing large, tinted glasses and carrying a half-full bottle of wine in his other hand. He plops down on his chair when he reaches Tarian, leans back and offers the bottle to the lounging rogue, who gratefully takes a swig and hands it back while watching his entertainment. Alex and Roth's sparring session is better matched than either could have anticipated, with Alex's stronger blows matching Roth's more precise ones, and while Alex could take the hits, Roth could dodge them.

It makes a great morning spectacle for Tarian and Coronal, and as they watch, Coronal turns to Tarian and says, "So, you've told me that you and the one with the eyebrows are into some kind of guild business. I may be able to make it worth your while if you could help me with a little business exchange."

Tarian gives Coronal a sideways glance and says, "Sounds interesting, I am listening."

Coronal leans in and says, "It's nothing too complicated; just a little errand in the west town shipping yards. There is a warehouse marked number 37, and inside you will meet a man named Tradesman. He'll have a crate of my goods that you will exchange for this gold."

Coronal pulls a bag of holding out of a mysterious place (considering he is only wearing linen pants and his satin robe) to indicate the gold for the exchange and says, "This is the payment, when you're ready, there is a wagon and one of my regulars waiting to the north of my house to take you down to make the exchange. As payment for doing this little task, I will make a deal with your guild to give you a little push forward."

Tarian looks closely at Coronal, trying to gauge his truthfulness about the deal, and while the transaction definitely seems shady, he seems to have no ill intentions.

Coronal smiles at Tarian and says, "For doing this, I will offer you 5000 gold to spend on your guild's expansion, as well as free passage on any of my ships."

Tarian likes what he hears, even the shady parts, and asks, "What is it that I am retrieving?"

Coronal gives him a grin and says, "You don't need to know that."

Tarian presses a little further for details by saying, "What do I need to bring?"

Coronal's grin widens and says, "Just bring your big friend, he'll come in handy."

The sparring match draws their attention momentarily as Roth does a particularly good roll to dodge an incoming overhead blow from Alex, and Tarian gives a clap as he says to Coronal, "Let me talk to my business partner just to make sure, but this sounds like a good venture for us. You'll have an answer shortly."

He takes another swig from Coronal's bottle, and then leaves his lawn chair and sheet to find Lo. Coronal reclines in his own chair, and focuses his attention on the entertainment in the garden, which ends in a draw. The match leaves Alex and Roth slightly bruised and sweating, but pleased with themselves at their progress, and they are taken off guard when they realize they have a spectator that claps at them from his lawn chair.

Tarian strolls into the mansion, first to dress in something other than the clothes he wore to bed, and second to find Lo, but given the fact that it was still technically morning, he knew he would need to come bearing gifts to the bard that sleeps in until noon. He fixes a plate of food from the dining table, and makes his way to Lo's bedroom.

When he knocks, he is not surprised to have to wait a few moments before the bard comes to consciousness, puts a pair of pants on, and then shuffles to the door while asking with a groan, "Who is it?"

Tarian says, "It's me, and I've brought breakfast and business."

Lo opens the door slowly to admit the rogue, closes it behind him, and then ushers Tarian to the small table and chair arrangement in his room, currently adorned with empty wine bottles. He grabs the bottles off the table to make room for the spread of food in Tarian's hands that he eyes eagerly as he sets it down on the newly created space. Lo immediately tucks in, devouring the eggs and bacon with tenacity.

He looks to Tarian when he takes a breather from the food and says, "You mentioned business with the breakfast? I assume it's the only reason I would see you this early in the morning, yes?"

Tarian explains Coronal's proposition with Lo listening intently as he takes on round two of breakfast with gusto, and when Tarian concludes, Lo is smiling from a full belly and a good proposition with loads of benefits for their guild, and he can only say, "Nice! Sounds good to me! Although, why such a high price for seemingly so little work?"

Tarian gives a smirk, knowing that whatever they were about to do was probably: a) dangerous, and b) illegal as he says, "Without risk, there's no reward."

Lo chugs some coffee and says, "Let's do it! Where's Mastodon?"

Tarian grabs a stray piece of bacon from Lo's otherwise demolished plate and says, "I'll find him, I'm sure he's training somewhere. Just remember that this cannot go past the three of us, no one else can know about this little business venture."

 _ **Poppet & Myne: Careful Questions to a God**_

Myne and Poppet carefully move the barricades away from the door, and make their way to the dining room for breakfast. Roth and Alex had already gone out to the garden for sparring practice, and the dining room table is quiet other than the slight snoring sound coming from a napkin. Poppet lifts the napkin and finds Ellete snoring comfortably underneath it. She prods the little azata awake, and coaxes her into motion with a plate of breakfast as bait. The girls each make a plate for themselves and lead Ellete back to their room for some privacy. They dig into their plates, and as they eat, Myne explains to Ellete the sensations that she felt the night before, and appeals to her for her opinion on the matter.

Ellete says simply, "It sounds like the effects of someone scrying on you."

Myne looks at Poppet with a sense of dread and says, "If it's Sara, we're screwed."

Ellete gives a sage look at the two girls and innocently says, "Milani would know. I could ask."

Poppet and Myne exchange glances; Poppet is clearly unaware that Ellete could offer this kind of help, but knows enough about the tenuous connection between mortals and gods, and gives Myne a careful look as she says, "If Ellete is going to speak to Milani, you will need to formulate your questions very carefully, she will likely only give you a yes or no answer. The gods can be quite literal, as well as evasive if you give them an opening to be so, and they are not omniscient. You may also have a very finite number of questions before Ellete loses her connection to Milani, so prioritize those questions as well. The spell may take a long time to cast, so we will have plenty of time to think about those questions."

Poppet watches Ellete with rapt attention, wondering if this would actually work, and she is not disappointed when she sees Ellete nod, and then change her demeanor: her eyes go white, she utters an incomprehensible incantation, and runes begin to glow on the floor around them. They watch as the runes glow brighter and brighter as the minutes go by, with Ellete seeming to be in another place as she utters the incantation. Myne twiddles her fingers as she thinks, opening her mouth a couple times to start to speak and then thinking better of it. Poppet helps her form her questions with care, adding key questions when Myne begins to blank. Suddenly, Ellete finishes the incantation, and looks at them intently to indicate the connection to Milani. She has an otherworldly look, and the glow that she gives off suggests that she is only partially in their world.

Myne takes a deep breath, looks at Ellete and says, "Did my cousin, Saraneth Mithendian, or the being that has possessed her, scry on me, Simbelmyne Elladan last night?"

In response, they hear a feminine voice other than Ellete's that echoes around the room, saying, "Yes."

Myne gives Poppet a panicked look, but Poppet gives her an encouraging gesture to keep asking questions.

Myne takes another breath and says, "Was she able to identify our current location?"

The voice responds again with, "Yes."

Myne puts her head in her hands at this response, knowing that their plan for a surprise attack on Isidore itself might be in jeopardy.

She lifts her head again, thinking of the rest of their journey and her vulnerability and asks, "Is there something in the city of Anessi that could prevent Sara from scrying on me?"

The voice says, "Unclear."

Myne gives a shudder and says, "Is the being in possession of Sara aware of our plans?"

Again, the voice responds with, "Unclear."

Myne runs her hands through her hair, feeling in some way as if this was becoming an exercise in futility, and tries to press further about their future, "Will we have allies when we reach the Isidorian shore?"

Again, the voice says, "Unclear."

Myne gives Poppet a hopeless look, but she presses the druid to keep going, worrying that if she does not say anything the connection would be lost.

Myne sighs and says, "Is the red dragon in Isidore?"

The voice says, "No."

Bolstered by a bit of certainty she says, "Is Sara or the being possessing her with the dragon?"

Again, the voice says, "No."

With that last response, the runes on the floor begin to fade away, and Ellete returns to her normal self. The room is quiet as Myne sits on the floor, returning her head to her hands and breathing deeply to try to calm herself.

Through her head swim the toxic thoughts that create dread, sorrow and pain, _She knows, and our mission is ruined. Why did I try to scry on her in Kassen? Would she have done this to me if I had not attempted it first? She can see me, and I can do nothing to stop it._

Poppet tries to comfort her, holding her tightly and saying, "None of us can anticipate what they would do, but now that we have detected one of their tricks, we can try to combat it. Something like this requires magic, and perhaps there is something in the city that can help."

Myne nods at Poppet's wisdom, and says, "We need Lo. I doubt this type of item will be cheap, and he's got quite the gift when it comes to haggling."

 _ **The Misery of Revelations**_

Myne and Poppet make their way to Lo's room, and carefully knock on the door, expecting the bard to still be asleep or 'with someone.'

Instead, they immediately hear a very coherent Lo say, "Hello? Who is it?"

Myne gives Poppet a look of shock, and says to the door, "Umm, it's Myne and Poppet. Can we talk to you about something? Are you decent?"

Lo opens the door to admit the girls into his room, and they notice that he must have already had a visitor in the morning, given the empty plate of breakfast on the table and the fact that he is fully clothed.

He eyes the girls as they carefully sit at his table, and says, "What can I do for you two this morning?"

Myne hesitates and then carefully says, "Lo, can I get your help for the day? I need to get… an item that will possibly be expensive. You and your dark red eyebrows would be a great help if I can somehow get a price cut on such a piece."

Lo gives a sidelong look at the girls and then says, "Well, Tarian has already requested my presence for the day, how important is this 'item' you're trying to get?"

Myne puts her head in her hands again, and seems to give up on secrecy as she says, "Sara scried on me last night… she knows where we are. I need something that might prevent her from doing so in the future."

Lo gives her a shocked look and says, "I'll talk to Tarian to see how much I will be needed by him today. I'll join you if i can, okay? Does the rest of the group know about this yet?"

Myne shakes her head without looking up and says, "No… but they need to know. Let's bring everyone together for this and get it over with."

Myne and Poppet wrangle the group together into one of Coronal's well-appointed sitting rooms, and everyone seems to be wearing varying degrees of confused and interested faces as they gather around.

Myne hesitantly steps into the middle of the room, trying not to focus on any one face as she says, "I... I needed to bring us all together to share some information that I was able to confirm this morning. Last night, Sara scried on me. She knows where we are now, and I'm not sure what else she may be aware of based on what she saw. I'm not sure what prompted her to try it, but when I was in Kassen I did attempt to scry on her first. My hope was to see her, maybe get some useful information on her whereabouts and who she might be surrounded by. Unfortunately, her powers allowed her to not only detect my attempt and stare me down, but also block out my being able to glean anything useful."

Alex crosses his arms in aggravation and gives her a disapproving look as he says, "Childish. This whole mission might be ruined because of you."

Myne hangs her head and says, "I'm sorry. I am going into the city today to see if I can find a magical object that might prevent her from scrying on me again… it may be wise to not say anything of consequence around me anyway, just in case."

The group begins to disperse, except for Lo who also grabs Tarian before he leaves and says, "What skill set do you think I will serve on the mission today?"

Tarian thinks about it and says, "Well, it may run a lot smoother with you there…"

Poppet gives them both suspicious looks and says, "What exactly is this business?"

Lo and Tarian tactfully ignore her question, and Lo turns to the girls and says, "If we conclude our business quickly, I'll try to find you in the city to help. I might be able to get you a better or cheaper item."

Myne nods numbly and slides into a cushioned chair, holding her arms tight to her body, "I imagine we'll be leaving shortly, the sooner I have some kind of protection the better."

Alex makes his way to the library in a stormy rage, thinking to himself about the best course of action, _I need to find an emissary to send a message that our plan may have been given up by the clumsy half-elf. What on earth was she thinking? This is just one more strike against her to prove she should never have gotten mixed up in this: First flying off to Kassen alone, then her little getaway flight with Roth, and now this…_

When he steps over the threshold of the library he finds Roth waiting for him there.

He eyes the paladin, grabbing him roughly by the arm and says, "She doesn't have military training, how was she to know?"

Roth releases his arm, and immediately leaves the room before Alex can give a rebuttal; the ranger obviously did not want to hear it.

 _ **Poppet, Myne, & Roth: Poppet's Friends in Low Places**_

Roth returns to the sitting room to find that Tarian and Lo have left to go about their shady business for the day, leaving just the girls who seem to be getting ready to depart as well. They are each wearing their satchels and double-checking their gold pouches and other supplies. Despite the warmth of the day, they are also wearing cloaks, and Roth supposes that is more to hide their identities than to provide protection from the elements, and more than likely this was thanks to Poppet's forethought. Myne's eyes are red from crying, but it seems that Poppet's presence and words have helped calm her. Both girls smile when they see Roth enter, and Myne gives him a hopeful look.

He returns the smile and says, "I'll join you two for the day if you don't mind."

They both give him a thankful nod, and after Roth grabs his own gold pouch and satchel, they depart. Myne begins to talk out loud about where in the city they may find a magical object or potion to hide her from Sara's eyes, fidgeting nervously as she thinks about the prospect of traversing a city like this one.

Poppet takes the lead with a sly grin and says, "So, we are going to do things my way. I would prefer it if you don't ask questions."

Myne and Roth eye the witch suspiciously, but she gives them no other explanation as she turns to face the city with a swirl of her skirts and curls, and briskly strides forward. Poppet leads them past a shopping district, and heads north into a very shady-looking part of the city situated close to the outskirts of the harbor district. They walk past narrow alleyways, catching the skitter of a rat as they walk. The smell of human waste invades their senses, and the whole area gives off the horrid vibe of decay and abject poverty.

Roth and Myne stay close to each other, unsure of how to handle being walked into an area such as this, but Poppet resolutely strides ahead of them, taking a jagged flight of stairs down to an unmarked wooden door.

She knocks on the door, and a figure with a long nose sticking out from a hood opens the door slightly and asks, "Who is it and what do you want?"

Poppet smiles and confidently says, "I have business with Hugo."

The figure seems to grin from under its cowl and says, "What might a pretty thing like you need with Hugo then, hmm?"

Poppet's demeanor does not wilt under the questioning and she simply says, "We are looking for something, an object."

The cowled figure gives a creepy giggle and says, "Well something is what Hugo usually has."

Poppet begins to lose her patience with the doorman, and gives him a glare. Myne, Roth, and Rauros sense her hostility and her attempt to intimidate him, and they do their best to give off the same threatening air. The doorman looks down at Poppet with her eyes almost crackling with lightning, and then to Roth bristling with a quiver of arrows and Myne's bear with his fur likewise bristling, and seems to think better of pestering the small woman further.

He allows the door to creak open to admit them all down a flight of dark, dank steps lit with guttering candles. The stairs level out to a large shop filled with strange objects that line the walls. There are candles everywhere giving off an eerie glow to the windowless room, casting light on skulls, thick tomes, strange weapons, and other seemingly miscellaneous objects.

Poppet turns to Ellete, who was fluttering at her shoulder and giving off a murmured "oooh" and says, "Don't touch!"

At the far end of the room, a frail skeletal form with thin long hair sits at a counter.

He seems to be examining a piece of parchment with Elvish writing on it, and when he sees the group approach, he sets the paper down and says, "What can you do for you?"

Strangely, he sniffs the air, and looks at Poppet as he says, "You smell more like the perfumes from Kish... ah yes, the Sylph. You had a fox before, but I'm quite certain it's you."

Myne and Roth exchange questioning glances, wondering not for the first time the extent of the witch's reach in the world as Poppet says, "It seems I have had a change of patrons. I serve Milani now."

The frail man says, "Aahhh. And what services might I be able to provide for you today? I assume you did not come here just to say, 'hello.'"

Poppet nods and says, "Yes, I am in need of a particular item. I need an object that will block a scry spell."

Hugo gives a little smile and says, "Trying to prevent someone from spying on you eh? There are certain items that can do that: Non-detection to obscure yourself, or maybe something to give you spell immunity perhaps. They are not cheap, though."

Myne speaks up from behind Poppet and says, "How pricey are we talking? ...I don't have a lot of money."

Hugo eyes the young half-elf, sees her haunted expression, and assumes correctly that this is the person that needs the protection.

He responds to her question as kindly as he can manage, "The cheapest thing I have is a Ring of Counterspell, and that will cost you 4,000 gold. How it works is similar to a Ring of Spell-Storing. You cast a spell on the ring, and if that spell is cast upon you, the spells negate themselves. The only catch is that you would need someone to be able to cast that spell on the ring…"

Myne gives an affirmative nod that she could cast the spell, and Poppet looks from Myne to Hugo and says, "Any chance we could get a discount or something, _Old Friend_?"

Hugo arches his fingers and says, "Perhaps we could strike a bargain. What would you like to offer me… something you hold that you would like to sell maybe?"

Myne begins to dig through her bag, taking out Kassen's scale, which Hugo appraises to be worth 750 gold. Poppet digs through her bag and pulls out her Hat of Disguise, which Hugo appraises to be worth 925 gold. Myne pulls out the ivory drinking horn that she found on the beach, and Hugo offers her a meager 20 gold for it. Myne begins to give Hugo a desperate look, and Roth begins to take his Thundering Longbow out of his satchel.

Myne stops his hand and says, "No, I'm not letting you sell that."

Hugo's eyes wander over the desperate young half-elf as she paws through her gold pouch and satchel, searching for some extra hidden coin or object worth selling, and his eyes stop at the knife on her belt.

He sees the glint of the ornate handle and says with some trepidation in his voice, "What is that on your hip?"

Myne gives him a confused look, and then looks down at her own hip, wondering if she has a growth there.

She sees her dagger, and pulls it out of the sheath with a questioning look at Hugo who says, "Yes, that."

She holds out her Heartseeker Dagger, palming it so that Hugo can examine it more closely, and Hugo gives a low murmur of approval and says, "Yes, that is a very fine dagger."

Poppet detects the magic in the blade, and quickly tries to appraise its worth, whispering in Myne's ear, "That will likely sell for about 10,000 gold!"

Myne gives a sharp intake of breath at its value, and Hugo gives an ingratiating smile as he says, "I would be willing to offer you 5,500 gold. Or I can sell you the ring and give you the difference in gold, which would be 1,500 gold."

Myne looks at Poppet for advice, and she gives a nod to take it.

Myne surreptitiously wipes the blade on her pants and hands it over to Hugo, saying, "I use it to cut herbs, so it might smell like mint. We have a deal, I will take the ring and the 1,500 gold in exchange for my dagger."

Hugo pulls a small box out from a glass case and hands it to her. She quickly opens the box, and looks at the unassuming silver ring. She immediately casts a scry spell on it, and she watches as the ring glimmers momentarily and then returns to normal. She gives a sigh of relief as she puts it on her finger, feeling like she is suddenly cloaked from Sara's view.

Hugo hands her the gold that he owes her, and as she puts the gold in her pouch he adds, "Remember, once the spells cancel each other out, you must recast the spell on the ring in order for it to work again."

Myne nods her understanding, and Hugo looks at Poppet and Roth and asks, "Anything else? Did you want to sell any of those lovelies you had me appraise earlier?"

Poppet decides to sell her hat, since she did not have a use for the item, and she could use the gold for later. With their sales and purchases made, Poppet gives a goodbye to Hugo, and they take their leave.

Roth and Myne are quiet as they make their way through the sketchy part of the city, and when they feel somewhat freer to talk, Myne speaks up and says, "So Poppet, how do you know Hugo, then? I take it that you have traveled to these parts before?"

Poppet gives a sly smile as she rather evasively says, "Well, I've been many places, and I've seen many things..."

 _ **Alex: A Message for Ano Liosia**_

Alex makes his way to the government district in the city, grumbling to himself the whole way about their situation.

He finds the diplomatic building for Solaris, and finds a paper pusher inside that eyes him from his spectacles and says, "What can I do for you sir?"

Alex controls the urge to growl at the poor excuse for a man and says, "I need to send a message to the generals in Ano Liosia."

The man says, "Ah, lovely. What is your house name, sir?"

Alex holds himself up to his full height and says, "Sir Alexander Shieldheart, grandson of Sir Arthur Songsteel."

The man nods, shifts somewhat uncomfortably under Alex's proclamation, and says, "Oh...a very prominent family, I'm sure...let me get you a piece of parchment. There is a writing desk with an ink pot along the wall there, sir."

Alex takes his paper with as much dignity as he can muster, given his current attitude and the fact that the young man did not recognize his name. He hastily writes the missive:

 _General Bolshyo Medvistan,_

 _As I write this from Portilla, it has come to my understanding that the enemy scried upon a member of our party, and our current location has been revealed. The potential for this mission to be completely disclosed to the enemy is great. Please advise our best course of action for the Pathfinders' next step. Our next port is Luna, I will look for your missive there._

 _-Sir Alexander Shieldheart_

Alex seals the message with the Songsteel emblem, and hands it back to the small man and says, "What is your fastest method of transportation?"

The man nods and says, "By falcon sir, I shall send it out for you immediately, where is it going?"

Alex hands a few coins over to pay for the message as he says, "Ano Liosia, in Solaris."

He inclines his head slightly at the man, and then turns on his heel and leaves. He makes his way back to Coronal's house, deciding to spend the rest of his day in stormy solitude.


	40. Voyage to Isidore: 19th of Pharast pt 2

**19th of Pharast:** **Divine Insight and Shady Business (pt. 2)**

 _ **Tarian, Lo, & Mastodon: Overkill to Pick Up a Package?**_

After the morning meeting with Myne, Tarian and Lo find Mastodon training in the garden and fill him in on the details of their 'business' for the day. Mastodon smiles at the thought of getting outside Coronal's grounds, hoping wistfully that he might get to crush a few skulls instead of just standing around looking menacing.

He rolls his shoulders and then cracks his knuckles as he says, "Sounds like fun, let's do this."

They make their way to the north of Coronal's mansion, and as promised they see a covered wagon hitched up to a horse with a hooded figure standing beside it.

There were holes cut out of the top of the hood for cat ears to protrude through, and when the figure speaks and says, "Ready to go my friends?" they recognize the purr of Rylia.

As the cart sets off towards the warehouse district, Tarian prods Rylia for answers, "So who is this Tradesman we're doing business with today?"

Rylia nods and says, "Master Coronal has been doing business for years, but this Tradesman is a new customer, and has not yet earned his trust."

Tarian considers this and says, "Do you know anything about the package we're picking up today?"

Rylia gives a gesture to the covered wagon and says, "I know that it is big enough to require a wagon."

The caravan finally makes its way to the warehouse district, which consists of plain-looking buildings with numbers assigned to every bay. Tarian is on full alert, knowing that their business was shady at best, and likely dangerous; he did not want to be caught in an ambush or setup. As he scans the alleys and eyes the warehouse workers going to and fro, he finds nothing amiss, but still does not let down his guard. The cart stops in front of another unassuming warehouse bay numbered 37. The door is closed, there are no windows, and the area is quiet.

Tarian turns to Rylia and says, "Anything we should know?"

Rylia makes herself comfortable on the wagon seat (she makes it clear she is not going in with them) and says, "The meeting and exchange is inside."

Tarian gives an inward sigh at the lack of information given, and strides towards the door with Lo and Mastodon stepping in line behind him. He carefully listens at the door, and he can hear the sounds of two people talking, but cannot make out what they are saying. He shakes off the uneasy feeling settling in his back and puts on his best business face as he knocks at the door.

He hears the approach of footsteps towards the other side of the door, and then a gruff voice says, "What do you want?"

Tarian refuses to give them much and says, "I'm here to pick up a package."

The gruff voice says, "Who sent ya?"

Tarian puts on his smoothest voice as he lets the word 'Coronal' drop.

He then hears the two voices talking back and forth to each other from behind the door, "He's here for the package…"

"Coronal sent one of his cronies again…"

A few seconds later the large door swings open to admit the trio. Inside the warehouse, they see towers of crates stacked high along the walls. The center is clear save for a large package on a pallet with a plainly-dressed plump dwarf standing next to it.

Lo stands in the doorframe and whispers to Tarian and Mastodon, "Seems like a lot of people for a package…"

Tarian steps further in with Mastodon and Lo following closely behind him.

As they approach the dwarf he says with a grunt, "It's about time! I was beginning to think that Coronal backed out."

He gestures towards the package and adds, "As long as you have his money, it's all yours."

Tarian pulls out the bag of holding Coronal had given him, and takes a quick check of the contents. He finds the pack full to the brim with gold, and quickly estimates that there must be about 60,000 gold within.

Lo sees the contents over his shoulder and whispers to him, "We can run pretty quickly…"

It is a tempting thought to simply take the gold and run, and Tarian makes a cursory look around the warehouse to see what they might have to deal with if they do want to make a run for it. What he sees unsettles him: in the back of the warehouse, he senses movement among the crates and packages. They were being watched, and it is enough to stay Tarian's impulse that Lo had planted. He wanted the money, but with an unknown element in the mix it wasn't worth the risk. He holds out the pack of gold to the dwarf, and tells him to load the package on the cart outside.

The dwarf takes the pack with a grin and says, "No hard feelings fellas, but business is business."

At these words, about a dozen crossbowmen pop up from behind crates, surrounding Tarian, Lo, and Mastodon.

Tarian doesn't flinch as he eyes the stout dwarf carefully and says, "We are not alone here. If you mean to take the money and the package I sincerely think you should weigh your options more carefully. We _will_ walk out of here with Coronal's property, it's just what he will find out about this transaction that you can change at this point."

The dwarf believes every word that falls from Tarian's mouth, and Tarian knows that he has won, _They believe every fucking word 'cause you're super cool._

Tradesman motions to his cronies to lower their weapons and stutters, "L... Look, can we just keep this quiet? Coronal doesn't need to know."

Tarian widens his grin and says, "I will be glad to keep this quiet...for 5,000 gold."

The dwarf eyes Tarian carefully and says, "How about 4,000?"

Tarian quickly returns, "Deal."

Tradesman drops his attention to the bag of gold, and painstakingly dumps out 4,000 gold worth into Tarian's opened pack.

The dwarf wipes his brow after the last of the coins are deposited, and Tarian gives another ingratiating smile and says, "Pleasure doing business with you."

The dwarf waves at his men, and they leave the warehouse with as much haste as they can muster.

When they are gone, Tarian walks up to the package wracked with curiosity about its contents. He carefully lifts the tarpaulin covering the top of the package and looks in. What he sees are many little blocks, carefully-wrapped and stacked, that Tarian first assumes to be blocks of resin. A moment later he realizes they are actually a drug refined from cacti leaves into a substance called pesh. It is a hard, sticky substance that can be smoked or added to liquids, and is a highly addictive, highly illegal narcotic. It produces hallucinations and paranoia when consumed, and spellcasters will even use it to cast unique and heightened spells.

He looks at Lo, who is also craning to see what is underneath the tarpaulin and says to him, "Unfortunately I don't think there is any way we can skim anything off the top without Coronal noticing. Let's get this to the cart."

Mastodon steps up and easily lifts the huge package onto his hulking shoulders, and strolls out of the warehouse with Tarian and Lo striding beside him.

Before they reach the earshot of Rylia at the wagon Tarian says, "Let's not speak about this, okay gents."

They see Rylia carefully filing her claws with an emery board at the wagon.

She smiles when she sees them approaching with the package and says, "Wonderful boys. Let's go get this taken care of and go home!"

Mastodon effortlessly loads the package into the back of the wagon, and they head out to another part of the city. They see another block of warehouses, and Rylia stops at the warehouse numbered 212. She leads Mastodon into the warehouse to drop off the package, and then she carefully locks the door behind her. The men can only assume that the warehouse belongs to Coronal, and they have to give the man a bit more credit for knowing to not keep incriminating products on his grounds.

They have a quiet and uneventful ride back to Coronal's mansion, and once inside Tarian wordlessly ushers his compatriots to an empty parlor. Tarian pulls out the 4,000 gold earned only an hour prior, and gives Lo and Mastodon 1,000 gold each, keeping 2,000 for himself.

He gives them each a smile and says, "We did well today, what do you think?"

Mastodon and Lo give him matching grins and Tarian continues, "I'll go speak with Coronal now that we have this little bonus distributed. As long as he doesn't back out of his agreement, more to come."

Tarian heads out of the parlor to allow Lo and Mastodon to celebrate their extra cash, and finally locates Coronal poolside. He relays the successful transaction, careful to not mention Tradesman's little betrayal and their bonus.

Coronal grins and gives Tarian a huge handshake and says, "Great! I knew this would work out just fine! Let's sit down and talk about arrangements for the expansion of your guild after dinner tonight! Plan on having some fun, and bring Lo and Mastodon with you of course."

Tarian gives another grin, knowing that Coronal's easy-going nature and the lavishness of his dinners was a sure indicator that Coronal would bring much more than just money to the table after dinner.

Tarian finds Lo and Mastodon playing cards in Lo's room, and after closing the door behind him he says with a hint of suppressed excitement and anticipation, "Dress up tonight gents. It's going to be a night for more than just business."

 _ **Tarian, Lo, & Mastodon: Brandy, Cigars, and Candy**_

Living up to expectations, dinner is just as opulent as the night before, although the atmosphere has changed; the tone is more relaxed since Coronal's guests have had a day in this luxurious place to begin to recover from their long trek at sea, and to feel a little more at home. Tarian has dressed for the occasion, making sure to carry a look of dangerous charisma: he had selected black leather pants and a yellow silk tunic; Calistria's colors. The rich look is fitting for his mood and intentions: tonight would be about indulgence; he had already made his savored sting. He takes the time to listen and watch his companions closely: he needed tonight to be as inconspicuous as possible, and he wanted to know where everyone was going to be and what they had on their minds.

Alex, still brooding over the revelations of earlier in the day, emerges from his room only when he is called to dinner. He eats his food quickly and quietly, and then excuses himself from the table to retreat to his room in solitude. Poppet, Myne, and Roth seem tentatively optimistic about their venture in town; even without Lo they seemed to have had success. Tarian notices that Myne keeps twisting and fidgeting a new silver ring on her finger, and assumes that his daughter has managed to find the means to protect herself. Roth and Myne also ask Poppet some curious questions about her travels, and Tarian muses, not for the first time, that the witch was more than she seemed.

Coronal was a gracious and giving host -the man was impossible to read. He gives off the air of one who did not stand on ceremony, choosing to wear his now-familiar dress combination of linen pants, no shirt, and no shoes. He makes sure every wine glass is full and gives Kamara his full attention when not assuring that his guests' needs were taken care of. Tarian had to assume that Kamara would not be in the room for the meeting later, and more than likely Coronal was trying to make a happy wife before disappearing for the evening.

Lo and Mastodon are just as unreadable as Coronal, despite narrowly escaping death and then becoming extremely wealthy just hours prior to dinner. They gave nothing away about the events of the day, nonchalantly drinking and eating, and engaging in conversation with the others, but Tarian notices that they are carefully dressed. Lo had put on a pair of decorative brown leather pants and an embroidered tunic, and his long black hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail. Mastodon had likewise dressed up, finally replacing his full set of armor with rugged-looking black leather pants and a black linen shirt. He wore no covering for his face, and Tarian mused that Mastodon may have felt like he would not be judged by strangers in this place. The half-orc radiated strength and masculinity in all black; Tarian thought the look suited him.

After the dessert plates had been cleared from the table, Tarian began to get restless. He wants some sign from Coronal; he needs to follow Coronal's lead, but the man seemed completely content to ingratiate his guests and his wife with no favor for Tarian, Lo, or Mastodon. More wine is poured into glasses, and Tarian had to sit on his impatience; he wanted the real fun to begin, but Coronal seemed to be testing their stamina. Candles are lit around the table as the dwindling sun's light failed, and it is Roth that stands first to bid everyone at the table a good evening.

Tarian gives the ranger a friendly slap on the back and says, "Well you've done well to last this long, considering we all know that you will be up with the first light of dawn."

Roth smiles at the compliment and gives a slight nod as he takes his leave.

Tarian turns his attention back to the table, and sees that the ladies are engaged in some kind of lively discussion. Their cheeks are flushed from the wine, and the pleasure of their conversation seems to center around their conquests: not in the bedroom, but out in the heat of battle. Tarian had turned his head just in time to hear Kamara make an exalted and satisfied retelling of the story where she took down Bruzo (one of her most hated rival captains) with a head shot from her beloved pistol. The end of the story is punctuated with gasps and light laughter from Poppet and Myne, and then they begin to give their own perspectives of the captain's story since at least Poppet was conscious for it.

Tarian then turns his attention to Coronal, Lo, and Mastodon, who are also engaged in lively conversation. The focus of their discussion is also around conquests, but since Lo is telling the story it is certainly of the other variety.

Tarian catches up with the conversation as Lo says, "...so I climb out of her bedroom window buck-naked and carrying my lute just before her father opens the door!"

The end of this story is also punctuated by wild laughter, hoots, and a few bangs on the table. Their volume drowns out the light and fluttering laughter from the girls, and Kamara shoots them a glare.

Tarian then catches Kamara giving Coronal a little wink before she turns back to the girls and says, "Alright ladies, I don't want to hear any more from these beasts at the end of the table. Let's go sit in the study, the couches are more comfortable there anyway."

She grabs a full bottle of wine from the table along with her glass and stands. Poppet and Myne follow suit, giving the men a quick, "good night" before Kamara leads them out of the dining room and into the study.

Coronal gives the ladies a hearty laugh and says, "Enjoy yourselves girls! There's more wine in the cellar if it is needed. Us beasts will probably lumber off to some other corner of the house to not disturb you delicate flowers...the table has been laid to waste anyway."

When the ladies are out of sight, Rylia emerges from behind the wet bar where she had been standing and saunters over to Coronal. He hands her a small golden key from his pocket, and she walks off without a word.

Coronal turns back to Lo, Tarian, and Mastodon and says, "Finish your drinks gents, we'll give Rylia a few moments to light our way."

With a few more bawdy jokes and stories, the men finish their drinks with gusto.

Coronal nods at their enthusiasm and says, "Well now, I am good on my word. Let's see what kind of trouble we beasts can get into, shall we?"

He stands from the table, and still with a few jokes and bouts of laughter, he leads the men towards an unfamiliar set of beautifully-polished mahogany double doors with golden handles. Tarian notices that in the corners of the doorframe, barely noticeable, an odd motif is carved. Upon close inspection Tarian spies the symbol of the skull and crossbones.

Coronal stops at the doors, and turns around to face the men with arms wide open in welcome as he explains, "Beasts, this is my personal area. I do business here, but I rarely do business without mixing it with pleasure."

With a flourish, he turns back to the doors and throws them wide open like a gatekeeper revealing access to a holy grail for worthy seekers. He ushers the men inside with a bow, and on the other side of the door Rylia smiles as she welcomes them into the room.

She grins at Coronal as she closes the doors behind them and says, "Sir, you have a taste for the dramatic, mrow."

Tarian drinks in the room; it was a veritable palatial playground. The flooring was of cool white marble with golden and grey flecks that surrounded a sunken lounge directly in front of them, and then continued to the back of the room where a large table and chairs was perched with the perfect view of the lounge. The lounge had a couple sets of stairs to descend into a pit full of large, turquoise blue silk cushions spread out on the floor, giving off the impression of looking down on a pool at first glance. The sea of cushions is broken up by a low central platform of marble that probably served as both stage and table depending on the need. The rich polished mahogany of the door continued into the room, was found at the large table, chairs, and cabinetry at the far end of the room, as well as more directly in front of him in the bar area and in the cushioned chaise lounges and other sofas that were strategically placed along the side of the sunken lounge. If it were daytime, Tarian notices that daylight would have filled this room through the enormous glass ceiling above the lounge, but instead the room is lit with a golden glow from a large chandelier over the table, along with many candles in brackets along the walls.

Tarian hears Coronal's voice reach him through the sea of gold and gleam, "I can tell you all like what you see so far. I hope you've saved up your energy for the night."

The men grin, and Coronal gestures at Rylia and continues, "Rylia is my personal assistant; she sees to all of my business, and everything that happens in this room. Therefore, do not consider it an issue that she is here during our business. What we do in here will stay in here."

Rylia nods dutifully, steps forward with a bow and says, "Business first gents? I'll get out the brandy, cigars, and candy then. Have a seat at the table."

The men walk around the lounge with a forlorn expression, looking forward to taking a dive into that sea of pillows, or perhaps just sit 'poolside' in a chair. They each take their seats at the table, and Rylia soon returns with a tray of snifters full of a beautiful bronzed liquid and a wooden box of cigars. Behind her, Tarian sees what can only be the 'candy': four scantily-clad ladies and a couple of equally-clad gentlemen of various races saunter towards the table. They encircle the table, smiling and eyeing the men before seating themselves in various provocative and enticing positions either in seats or on the table itself. Tarian sighs inwardly with pleasure at the provocative eye candy, and Rylia introduces each of them as they take their places: a human female with skin the color of dark coffee and hair cut short in tangerine silks and gold bangles named Dinah, a half-elf female with pale skin and waist-length ash-blonde hair wearing strategically placed pink flowers named Tamarie, an elvish male with slightly-tanned skin and shaved head wearing a small pair of purple shorts and tinted glasses named Paeris, a female gnome with light-pink skin and green hair braided behind her ears wearing green silks and bronze bangles named Lini, a human male with bronzed skin and dark curly hair wearing small yellow shorts named Menas, and an elvish female with bronzed skin, bright blue eyes, wavy chestnut brown hair, and turquoise silks with silver bangles named Faunra.

Tarian aches for the ladies, but he keeps the golden rule of eye candy in front of this thoughts and desires, _Look but don't touch unless invited._

As Rylia begins handing out drinks and lighting cigars, Coronal begins to pull out ledgers, quills, and ink pots from nearby cabinets, and then takes a seat on the opposite side of the table from the others. He takes his own proffered glass, and puffs luxuriously on his newly-lit cigar as Rylia takes a seat on the arm of his chair. He grins at the three sitting across from him as he opens a book that looks more like a catalog and turns it towards them, strategically placing it next to Dinah, who is laying on the table on her stomach, her bangles making a soft jingle as she swings her feet in the air.

He looks at Tarian and says, "My ledgers are ready, I just need to know what I am purchasing for your fine establishment. By the way, I don't think I've had the opportunity to ask you what you hope to achieve with this investment..."

Tarian eyes Dinah on the table, and beckons her to join him at his seat, then looks back to the catalog as he says, "We trade in information. I invest in those willing to sell a secret, and in turn allow someone in need of that information to buy it. I have a personal and vested interest in seeking out certain types of information, although it would seem I have gained more on that front through my travels than through my guild. Nevertheless, the guild has been profitable despite the fact that it is less than six months old."

Lo nods in agreement here as he smiles at Menas and Lini, giving them a waggle of his dark red eyebrows and says, "We want to be prestigious, trusted, and reliable. Sometimes the best way to show that is by looking attractive. We bought our property in the part of town for what we do… shady deeds, but we don't need to be shady inside. We need some furniture and building upgrades, as well as an increase in the staff."

Mastodon lets out a * _humph_ * noise and says, "That staff better include some metal and muscle to protect yourselves and your pretty furniture from prying eyes, vandals, and copper-pinching nobles that want something for nothing."

As he speaks, Tamarie climbs into his lap with a giggle and he continues, "Speaking of something for nothing…"

They turn their attention to the books in front of them and the candy on top of them. Tarian was at his ease since Coronal seemed so willing and eager to make this investment. Coronal points out particularly enticing or important elements, and with the four of them pouring over the books with a few moments to allow for sidetracks with their candy, they begin making their selections. Tarian lets out a pleased sigh as Dinah adjusts her position on the arm of his chair, and gives his thigh a squeeze. Coronal did not disappoint, and he knew how to do business from all angles: keep the clients smiling and they will open up, and put your gold where it matters most to see the most return.

Tarian takes a drag on his cigar as he thinks about the upgrades, trying to concentrate on the figures to make sure they added up, but the figure squeezing his thigh is making that task challenging. He notices that his compatriots are likewise having concentration issues: Lo had his hands full taking deep swigs of brandy with Lini on his lap, and Menas rubbing his shoulders; Mastodon had completely softened under sweet Tamarie- he was running his hands through her long, ash-blonde hair with a measure of delicacy that Tarian did not know the half-orc possessed; and Paeris and Faunra took turns tending to Coronal when Rylia was occupied with the management of the business at hand and the refilling of drinks.

Despite the distractions, they manage to put their upgrades down on paper, deciding to focus on updating the parlor and front desk with new furnishings as well as updates to their security. They then focus on their staff, adding guards, lawyers, rogues, and cutpurses all with their roles of protecting the guild or adding to the influx and exchange of information. Rylia circulates around them, taking down notes and assisting in writing out the expenses in Coronal's ledgers when final decisions are made. Within the span of an hour they have spent what Coronal had agreed to invest.

Tarian was fully enveloped by the atmosphere in the room; the golden liquid was warming his stomach, and the smoky spice of the cigars mingled with the sugary-sweet scent of Dinah at his side had stirred his senses into a state of heightened awareness. He signs the last paper in front of him, and Coronal sits back in his chair with a smile.

As Rylia picks up the stacks of paper from the table, she looks to Coronal with her tail curled like the cane of a question mark and says, "If this concludes your business, what else shall I offer you all for the pleasure, meow?"

Coronal continues to smile as he says, "Bring out some of the Fata Morgana for these guys to enjoy. I think we need some music and dancing in here too...it's too damn quiet."

Rylia bows, and heads for the bar with Paeris and Faunra following in her wake. Coronal gestures to the others to rise, and Dinah stands and reaches down the front of Tarian's pants, taking hold of the waistline and pulling him to his feet while wearing a playful smirk. When on his feet, she takes him by the hand to guide him over to the lounge. Out of the corner of his eye, Tarian can see that Menas is leading Lo by his shirt strings while Lini smacks him on the rear, and Mastodon has seated Tamarie onto one of his shoulders to carry her over.

Tarian watches as Menas leads Lo to the sunken portion, and pulls him onto a cushion next to the central raised platform. Given his past escapades, Tarian was quite sure that Lo would be partaking of anything that was put in front of him. Mastodon saunters to a cushioned chair overlooking the pit, putting his feet up on the ottoman, placing his drink on the nearby table, and allowing Tamarie to get cozy in his lap. He seemed completely enveloped by the half-elf, but likely would not partake in whatever 'Fata Morgana' is.

Tarian allows himself to be led by Dinah to the lounge, and she selects a cushion next to Lo. With his brandy in hand and his cigar in his mouth, his thoughts throbbed in his mind. Dinah had stirred him up; he wanted a woman- sleek, soft, and sweet, and his thoughts drift briefly to Brynn from twenty-two years ago, despite having Dinah in front of him. For part of that summer, Brynn had been everything he needed when he needed it most, and he ached for that time again. The thoughts of Brynn are washed away as Coronal walks past, taking up a cushion further from the center, and eyeing the dazed Tarian.

He makes himself comfortable, sinking into the plush cushion while spreading his arms and legs out wide, and says, "In the realm of eye candy, what be your pleasure lad?"

Tarian shakes away the golden cobwebs of memory, and gives Coronal a winning smile before saying, "You certainly know how to run a business meeting. Dinah has been quite fitting for my mood tonight."

Dinah snuggles up against him on the cushion at his words, and Coronal seems pleased at his response, "Well she is one of my best, and believe me when I say she will take you places."

Tarian raises his drink to Coronal and Dinah, "Cheers to that!"

Dinah nuzzles closer to Tarian and gives him a peck on the cheek while grabbing his chest and says, "I can be whatever you would like me to be, handsome."

A jingling sound from the top of the lounge causes the men look up, and Tarian sees Rylia return with a small wooden box in her hands. Behind her follows Faunra balancing a tray of drinks, and Paeris carrying a rather expensive-looking lute.

Paeris takes the stairs two at a time, and leaps onto the raised platform in the center of the lounge with the lute in hand. He plays out a few chords to set the mood, then launches into a lively song with an early Orestian rhythm. After Faunra distributes drinks and sets cigar stubs aside, she joins him on stage with small bells on her waist, hands, and feet. She moves her stomach and hips in hypnotic gyrations of the Kishian Dilans, her bells sounding a jingling beat to Paeris' rhythm. Her arms sway gracefully around her, and in her hand a blue silk scarf waves and ripples around her, adding to the hypnotic effect. Tarian loses track of himself, staring at the elf with mouth agape, not noticing Dinah slowly untying the strings on his shirt. The song lasts for no more than three minutes, but when Faunra takes a bow, the spell breaks, and he blinks his eyes and looks around dumbly. Rylia has taken small rolled papers out of the box, and begins to light one of the blunts for an enthusiastic Lo, who takes a deep drag and leans back in his cushion luxuriously.

Tarian realizes his shirt is partially open, and turns his attentions back to Dinah. She is lighting one of the blunts, and he watches the way her soft lips perfectly held the rolled paper, having to swallow hard at the thought of those lips wrapped around him. She takes the blunt out of her mouth and hands it to Tarian while releasing a small puff of smoke that smells like licorice. He accepts the proffered blunt, and takes a small drag on it without inhaling the sweet smoke, hoping to not take too much of the drug to render him senseless. The tang in his mouth is pleasant enough, and as he eyes the blunt's contents he sees a shredded resin that he realizes is probably refined pesh, the same drug that they acquired earlier for Coronal. He would likely start seeing hallucinations depending on how strong the effect of the drug was on him. He takes another drag and hands the blunt back to Dinah as he looks over at Coronal, who also has a blunt hanging out of the side of his mouth and Rylia curled at his side.

On stage, Paeris and Faunra launch into another song and dance with similar rhythm and beats as the previous song, this time with Faunra leaving the stage to dance around the onlookers. She stops above Lo, jangling her bells as she sways her hips, but Tarian notices that Lo is probably not aware of the half-naked dancer in front of him since Menas has a hand down Lo's partially untied pants, and the blunt hanging out of Lo's mouth is already half-burned. Lo's eyes were closed as he leans back in his cushion, but Tarian could tell the bard is still consciously enjoying every minute of it. Faunra steps gracefully between the cushions, making her way to Tarian. She sways her hips and stomach, bringing her hands down to stroke Tarian's face. The contact on his cheek feels partially numb, and as her hands run through his hair, he arks from the tingling sensation that the touch leaves behind. Her arms sway above her head again, and the silk scarf in her hand trails after her.

Tarian blinks as the scarf itself leaves a trail of colorful lights in the air, and near his ear he hears Dinah whisper, "Ah, I think Faunra is getting to you, Love. You like it?"

Faunra dances away to Coronal, and Tarian turns back to Dinah. His head seems to move in slow motion, and when he looks at Dinah, he lets out a small sigh since she seems to be surrounded by a tangerine glow. The blunt between her lips looks like a small firecracker, and she smiles as she takes it out of her mouth and holds it out for him.

 _The pesh is taking its toll_ , he thinks, _but at least I am still in enough control of my faculties to know that_.

He smiles at Dinah, slowly and deliberately enjoying Dinah's figure with his eyes and says, "I think I'm at just the right place. You glow, I am tingling, and I want to remember this night."

Dinah grins and leaves his side to climb on stage, placing their half-burned blunt between Paeris' lips as he plays. Paeris takes a drag and puffs out the smoke while not missing a chord… the song seemed to be perfectly endless to Tarian, although he could not say how long this second song had been playing.

Tarian looks up to where Mastodon had seated himself, still feeling like he needed to be 'in charge' of his companions and responsible for their actions: drugs and candy can make a dangerous combination for those that could not control their desires. Faunra had made her way up to Mastodon, and instead of dancing beside him, she climbs up on his lap with Tamarie. The two face Mastodon, straddling the huge barbarian with Tamarie in front of Faunra. The women move to Paeris' rhythms in perfect time together with grace and a measure of eroticism that causes a pang of jealousy in Tarian- Mastodon must have quite the view in front of him, and from what Tarian could tell, the half-orc was taking the display in stride, allowing the girls to play their part without interfering, but clearly enjoying himself.

Coronal must have carefully selected each of these beauties; each of them was enticing and talented in their own ways, but they also worked well together, playing off each other. Tarian sighs, and closes his eyes as he feels Dinah run her hands over his bare chest which, thanks to the Fata Morgana, leaves a tingling trail on his skin where she touches him.

The hairs on the back of his neck stand up when she whispers in his ear, "I'm back Love, did you miss me?"

Tarian moans as her hands travel south past his navel, and he pulls himself together to say, "You and Coronal's other lovelies are making it hard for me and my companions to behave. You are well aware of what you're doing, and you are intoxicating."

He feels Dinah begin to untie the laces on his pants, and hears her say, "Well my companions and I are allowed to do as we please. Do you want to take this party elsewhere?"

Tarian can do little more than give an eager nod. He is surprised that he still has strength to stand, and pulls Dinah up next to him. They give a nod to Coronal, who is fully engrossed in the dancing above him with the blunt in his mouth down to the stub. He lifts his arm to give a small acknowledgement, and Dinah leads Tarian out of the lounge, and down the adjacent hallway to her quarters, all the while allowing Tarian full access to her. She pushes Tarian into her room after a long, hard kiss, and closes the door behind her.

Dinah pulls her silks down, dropping them to the floor in a crumpled pile around her bangled feet and says, "You won't forget tonight, Love."


	41. Voyage to Isidore: 20th-22nd of Pharast

**20th-21st of Pharast:** **Myne's Birthday & Seducing a Sylph**

As soon as Myne's eyes pop open in the morning, she is immediately filled with a sense of excitement for what the day could hold. It was her birthday, and she could now say that she was one year older, one step closer to feeling like she could be taken seriously. Most of her anxiety over her own legitimacy was because of Alex, who had made the last few weeks of the mission hell for her. She had not asked for any of it, but she had come along willingly, trying to aid where she could, and tried to take care of things the way a responsible person would; but Alex had found her attempts childish and irresponsible rather than the opposite, and his disapproval preys upon her mind. She dresses quickly with these thoughts, but pushes them aside to make room for the thoughts of enjoying herself on this day, and rushes out of her bedroom to find the one person that she felt she could truly celebrate with: Poppet. She gives a quick knock at the witch's bedroom door, and Poppet answers, slowly opening the door to see Myne behind it wearing breeches that have been cut off rather high up on her legs and a thin lace-up vest that shows off her midriff. She is practically shaking with excitement and completely unaware of how much skin she is exposing to the world.

After this internal observation Poppet thinks, _Not that the world will mind…_

Without waiting for a response Myne says, "It's my birthday! I'm 22! Let's have cocktails by the stone pond!"

With that declaration made she turns and rushes off in the direction of Coronal's garden and pool. Poppet gives an inward sigh at the youth's exuberance, and her naivety over the swimming pool and the concept of swimwear, but knows how much the milestone means to her. She quickly finds a swimsuit in the dressing room, a slinky thing of creams and blues, drapes a gauzy robe over the top, and heads outside where the morning sun is already warming the air delightfully.

Poppet arrives poolside in time to watch Myne make a celebratory dive into the pool. She had to admire the girl - she was fearless and flawless in her element. The dive she made off the edge of the pool was simple, but graceful and well-executed: her body cut through the water like a knife and she nearly hit the bottom before making her way back up. When Myne's head bobs back up to the surface Poppet gives her a clap at the performance.

Poppet slides her robe from her shoulders and seats herself on the edge of the pool, dips her legs in the water, and blows Myne a kiss while saying, "Happy birthday Myne. What is your plan for today then?"

Myne clears the water from her face and cheerfully says, "I don't know. My plan thus far involves enjoying this place and a few drinks with you!"

Poppet looks at her carefully and says, "You did not tell anyone else?"

Myne rolls over on her back to float on the surface of the water, and dreamily says, "No, I haven't. I am pretty sure most everyone else here will not need to know, but I wanted to celebrate it with you. If others join us, I will be very happy for it, but it is not necessary."

She closes her eyes, and smiles broadly as she takes pleasure in soaking up the rays of the sun and says, "It feels like summer here, yet we are only at the beginnings of spring. Flowers begin to bloom, farmers plant their crops; it is a time when Gozreh really takes hold and I am happy to have been born during these days."

As she says this, Poppet hears the slap of bare footsteps on the stone patio, and turns to see an elf dressed in simple linen pants that end at his knees, no shirt, a pair of tinted glasses, and a crude clay amulet attached to a string of leather dangling at his chest. His exposed skin, including his shaved head, is slightly tanned, and his body was typical for being elvish: tall, thin, graceful, and having an air of agelessness. The overall effect was rather stunning: thin but muscled physique, slightly tanned skin with faint freckles on his cheeks and shoulders, and the self-confidence in his stride and bearing that told Poppet he knew how attractive he was. He is carrying a rake on a long handle, as well as an empty bucket, and Poppet senses that he is carrying a wooden magical wand at his hip, which makes her do a mental double-take at this juxtaposition of equipment. She wonders if the amulet around his neck might hold a small personal Starstone to grant him the power he needs to cast magical spells.

Poppet watches as he sets down his rake and bucket at the edge of the pool, eyeing the two girls with unabashed enjoyment, and in a voice that carries a lot more perceived power and smoothness than Poppet would have expected says, "Good morning ladies."

He pulls his glasses down his nose to better examine them with his lavender-colored eyes and says, "Normally Coronal's candy doesn't gather by the pool until he is ready to enjoy them… and I don't believe I've seen either of you amidst the estate. I shall introduce myself: I am Paeris. I am a wizard; the keeper of Coronal's pool and gardens. May I be so bold as to ask for your names?"

Myne flounders at the sound of the unfamiliar male voice; she tries to turn her body out of her floating position only to end up face first in the water in a series of splashes and spluttering.

Meanwhile, Poppet gives the man a nod and coolly says, "We are not in Coronal's employ; we are his guests. You may call me Poppet, and this is Simbelmyne."

She pauses, eyeing the amulet around the elf's neck again, "If you don't mind me asking, why does Coronal require a wizard for this type of work?" she asks, tilting her head towards the pool.

Paeris grins and sits down next to Poppet, likewise putting his legs in the water.

He lets his eyes slide across Poppet's figure with more intensity as he says, "My apologies for mistaking the reason for your presence, although you are both beautiful enough to be among Coronal's lovelies, hence my assumption. Your tattoos, they are quite... exotic. I must admit I find them rather distracting."

Poppet notices his gaze roam the length of her markings from neck to the tips of her left toes, submerged as they were beneath the water.

He gives her a covetous grin that would make a more sensitive woman weak at the knees, and Poppet gives a small blush in acknowledgement of the compliment as he continues, "I use magic to purify the water in the pool and to tend the gardens. Some things I do manually," here he gives a nod to his equipment, "but Coronal also just likes having me around; I'm good for entertainment as well. He is generous with my salary and other… benefits, so I am quite happy to stay here despite other offers of magical employment."

Poppet raises an eyebrow at the mention of _benefits_ , and laughs softly at the man. His voice is like molasses - dark and rich, and Poppet muses on how long this elf has had to hone his charms: he was eloquent, confident, and above all openly flirtatious. Despite her general aloofness towards unfamiliar men, Poppet begrudgingly admits to herself that the man is quite charming. She internally fans herself, and tries to clear her head; had she not just told Myne that most men hardly gave her pause? Yet it was with no small amount of surprise that Poppet realizes just how impossibly alluring the elf was to her, and she was not sure how to deal with him. In an attempt to deflect him, she turns her attention to Myne, who was swimming over to the side of the pool to greet the newcomer.

Myne puts her arms up on the edge of the pool, lazily kicking her legs under the water and says, "Did you say you tend the gardens, sir? They are lovely, I spend all my spare time enjoying them!"

Paeris also turns his attention to the young half-elf, and at her compliment, he gives her a warm smile and says, "I am glad you have enjoyed my work. I believe I have seen you in the gardens for the last couple of nights; you seem to prefer the strong, musky scent of my Anian herbs… wait," here he turns his attention back to Poppet and says, "you said her name is Simbelmyne, yes?"

Poppet nods in affirmation and he gives her a grin, looks back at Myne and continues, "Ah, I see, let me guess. You hail from Ani, and your parents must either be herbalists or botanists. How close am I to the mark?"

Myne gives him a stunned look, and begins to blush now that she is within his charm's radius, "You… you know about Anian flowers?"

Poppet is equally astounded by his remarks. It is hard to imagine that someone with this much charm would also have mastered his work so thoroughly.

Myne bites her lip to try to control herself and then continues, "Simbelmyne is a flower that only grows in the foothills of the mountains in springtime. The petals and leaves have healing properties."

Paeris claps his hands together in triumph and says, "Wonderful, my tender flower. You know, I have a small patch of simbelmyne on the grounds. I keep it in a glass dome in the shade, and I still have to use magic to prevent it from getting too hot and wilting. It is even the right time of year for it to be in bloom, if you'd care to see it."

Myne gives him an excited laugh, and pushes herself up and out of the pool with no effort, her strong arm and stomach muscles flexing as she pushes down on the stone. She soaks the stones with the water that drips from her clothes and hair, leaving a small pool of water where she stands.

Poppet notices the appreciative look Paeris has as he enjoys every ounce of Myne's soaking wet body, and without taking his eyes off her he pulls a small key ring out of a hip pouch and tosses it to her as he says, "Enjoy, my flower. I keep my terrariums in the locked greenhouse; you know where it is… I have seen you pressing your nose against the glass."

She grins and sprints away towards the greenhouse, and Paeris turns his head to watch her figure with his mouth open.

He remarks to Poppet, "Not so tender…"

Poppet grins at his admiration and proudly says, "Not really, no. She did take down a forest drake with her animal companion after fourteen hours of flight."

Paeris turns a confused, but still amazed look to Poppet and says, "Flight?"

Poppet says, "She is a druid; a shapeshifter, and her animal companion is the brown bear that you may have seen lumbering around by her side."

Paeris gives a knowing look, and says with a wink, "Ah, then I suppose I shall have to be careful around that one…"

Poppet nods and continues with a small amount of warning in her voice, "I should also mention that the ranger you may have also seen in your gardens seems to hold a place in his heart for her, so it may behoove you to not attempt what may be in your head."

She gives him a knowing look and a smirk.

Paeris returns her smirk with one of his own and says, "I love to look and admire, but I can tell when someone's attentions linger elsewhere. I have seen the hunter you speak of, but has he caught his prey yet?"

Poppet shakes her head, and some of her golden curls escape from the loose braid that was holding her hair back.

She says with a smile directed at the bushes Myne disappeared through, "I think they are both not confident enough in the realm of affection, but something will give at some point."

Paeris sighs as if lamenting the time they are wasting and says, "And what of you my dear? You seem to view their situation from afar, but here you sit, the picture of golden perfection, like a goddess. You may not be exactly like the flower, but you hold power as well. I can feel it."

Poppet laughs softly at the man, heart fluttering in her chest, and without wanting to reveal more about herself says, "You are a far more observant person than most I have met. I must give you credit for all that you seem to know about us from a few, short moments."

He seems to take her statement as a compliment and grins, saying, "Nice deflection, Miss Goddess. So, let me see about you…"

He looks her up and down again, seemingly observing minute details about her appearance before leaning in a little bit and saying, "Kishian jewelry woven through your golden curls, yet pale skin contrasts with your enticing tattoos…"

His hand comes close to her arm, fingers traveling along the length of her arm without touching her skin.

As he notices a chill run down her arm, he looks back up and gives her a knowing smile, "No hand gave you those. If I didn't know any better, I would say you are more than you are letting on. You are probably from Kish, but something tells me that you would rather not go back there, and it has been a while since you have."

Poppet blinks at the elf, utterly stunned for a moment before she turns and looks out at the waters.

Blowing out a breath, she gives into a soft laugh. "Damn. I think you have me figured out better than those I travel with."

Paeris grins again and says, "It's a skill that's useful to have when your employer is a president and a pirate. I see through people much faster than most, but don't worry, _Poppet_..." here he winks at the name, ignoring her eyes as they widen slightly, and continues, "you're in no danger here. If you're on the run, you're in a safe place. I like 'goddess' better anyway, so as long as you're okay with it, I'd like that title to stick."

For a moment, all Poppet can do is stare at the man, not entirely sure what to do with the thought that someone had figured her out so easily.

Finally, she shakes her head and allows herself a soft snort, "You… I mean… I-I..." she cuts off her muttering and flushes deeply.

Paeris smiles again and says, "I'll take your silence and stuttering as proof that I've come close to the mark. I don't want to get too close to frighten you. As I said, you're in no danger here."

He looks across the pool to the bar where one of Coronal's bartenders is preparing for any morning revelers and pulls back from Poppet reluctantly.

He says, "Can I get you anything? I have to tend to my duties soon as I had a… late start to the morning."

He pauses, a dreamy smile stretching across his face, and Poppet is amused to see him look away with some semblance of embarrassment a moment later.

He laughs softly, and turns back to her, "But if you will be here for a while, I would certainly linger about the area for you. I would love the opportunity to speak with you again."

Poppet shakes herself from her stupor and, still blushing, says, "I will take a drink at your suggestion. It appears I will be here for the foreseeable future; Myne should be back soon and I'm sure she would enjoy a drink as well."

He stands with a smile and says, "Of course. Enjoy all the pool and gardens have to offer, my goddess."

Poppet lets out a nervous giggle at the honorific, and tries to stifle it as best she can as he walks away.

He comes back a few minutes later with two fruity-looking drinks, and hands one to her with a smile, saying, "Here, my lovely. If there is anything else I can do or _be_ for you, just let me know."

She takes the drink from Paeris, sliding her fingers along his as she grasps the glass. Flushing slightly, she sips it carefully while eyeing Paeris as he winks at her and strides back to his equipment near the pool. Gathering up rake, bucket, and wand, he stands and regards the pool, waving the wand towards the cool waters before walking towards the hedges that form a privacy barrier around the area.

To herself, Poppet smiles softly and says, "I'm starting to understand how one might enjoy admiring the poolside sights."

Myne comes back from the greenhouse, and takes the drink that Poppet proffers her as she sits down next to her.

She enthusiastically says, "I can't believe some of the plants that are kept here… the amount of magic he must have to use to keep them alive! I hope you don't mind that I left you here for a little bit."

Poppet smiles and says, "Not at all, Paeris was quite entertaining."

Noticing her friend's flushed cheeks, Myne raises her eyebrows at Poppet and bumps the smaller woman's shoulder with her own. Poppet scoffs at Myne, holding a look of indignation for only a moment before they both dissolve into laughter. They take a few quiet sips of their drinks, and then they hear the sound of scraping on the stone. They turn to see Coronal himself wearing his tinted glasses, the same clothes as yesterday, and carrying a bottle of wine while dragging a lawn chair over to the pool.

He plops down on it when he is satisfied with its location and says, "Ladies, good morning. I see you're already into the cocktails, what's the occasion?"

Poppet looks to Myne, who grins sheepishly and says, "It's my birthday!"

Coronal gives a shocked look and says, "Your birthday!? What are you doing? We gotta get some people in here and have a party!"

Myne's expression changes to one of horror as Coronal calls servants over and begins to request them to send messengers out to his friends.

She tries to interject, saying, "No, no, no, that's not necessary!"

Coronal simply gives her a look and says, "Of course it is! You gotta have a party!"

Within an hour the pool and gardens are full of revelers that Myne and Poppet have never met before in their lives, and they begin to wonder if some are unknown to even Coronal. The other members of the group have already been called out to join the fun, and all but Alex answer the call admirably. When he finds out the reason for the party, he decides to stay in his room with the door locked, bitterly avoiding the celebration. Other members of the party join in wholeheartedly and hang out by the pool where Myne stays for the majority of the day: Lo plays his lute and drinks heavily, Mastodon takes numerous shots in a drinking competition, Roth and Tarian quietly sip drinks and relax in lawn chairs by the pool, and Ellete powers through many drinks while perching on people's heads or on top of the bar awning. By mid-day, the area is packed, and a diving contest is the main event. Poppet, Myne, and many of Coronal's lovelies participate, and while there is no declared winner, they each are pleased with their performances.

In his room, Alex grumbles and paces, rotating between working out and sitting idly on his bed. He had only left his room to carefully procure some food, and the noise of the party had invaded his senses as soon as he entered the hallway. He now looks out his window and smiles as the sun begins to descend towards the horizon; he was looking forward to a quiet night.

He opens his _Acts of Iomedae_ text to read another chapter when he hears a knock at the door, and a very inebriated and unfamiliar male voice shouts, "Hey man, can I use your room?"

Alex does not answer, and he notices that his door handle jiggles from the person trying to open the locked door.

He hears the voice again say, "Well can I just come in?"

Alex shouts out, "Please leave me be, I am not interested in the party."

The voice, undeterred says, "Man, I got this stuff you gotta try, it's called Star Spore!"

Alex is in no mood to let this irritation linger, and flings open his door to reveal a young human that is slightly swaying under the influence of whatever he has ingested. Alex unsheathes his sword as threateningly as he can, but it seems to have no effect on the person.

He stares at the shiny blade with glazed eyes and says, "Man, you are awesome! You gotta try this Star Spore."

The man holds out a sheet of iridescent paper, and Alex realizes the iridescence is some kind of green mold.

The man sways again, eagerly presenting the sheet to Alex and says, "Dude, you gotta try this!"

Alex decides it is not worth his time to try to deter the man that does not seem to be fully in Golarion, and steps back into his room and slams the door behind him, hoping that this act would be enough of an answer. He shudders with anger when he hears a * _knock knock*_ at his door a moment later, and struggles to keep his temper under control as he opens his door again. Before the man can say anything else, Alex bodily picks up the man by his shirt, and throws him away from his door. The man does not seem to put up a fight, and when he lands in a heap against a wall in the hallway, he simply curls up in a ball and begins to talk to himself. Alex shakes his head at the sight of him, and slams his door shut.

At the party, Poppet finds her attention drifting time and again to Paeris as he mingles through the mobs of people, one of the many in Coronal's employ making sure everyone is having a good time. Though he flirts here and there with those in attendance, he keeps seeking out and giving a longing glance at Poppet, as if waiting for her to invite him over for a chat. She herself keeps to Myne's side for most of the day, enjoying the revelries with their friends. Once or twice she tries to slip away from her friend when Roth had wandered close, whispering in the druid's ear something about wishing some ranger would bestow her a birthday kiss. The ten shades of red Myne turns at the mere suggestion has Poppet cackling with laughter as she twirls away into the masses of party goers.

As evening begins to creep across the grounds, Poppet notices Alex's lack of attendance, and slips off to find him in his room. As she rounds a corner into the hallway that Alex is staying in, she notices a slumped figure against the wall and raises a delicate eyebrow. Ignoring it, she knocks on the door lightly but doesn't hear a response from inside.

"Alex," she calls softly, and finally Alex's soft curses reach her through the door a moment before it opens.

When she looks him over, she notices he looks rather grumpy, "You should at least make an appearance," she says, cutting off whatever greeting he had been preparing.

His look darkens further, and he replies, "I don't see any reason to celebrate, especially when her actions are causing so much-"

"Alex!" she interrupts him gently, reaching out to place her hand on his shoulder.

His tense muscles seem to relax minutely as he sighs and looks away from her, and she continues, "It's Myne's birthday, and she looks to you as family. Surely you can put aside your differences for one day?"

Alex frowns and shrugs off her touch, "Goodnight, Poppet," he tells her before shutting the door in her face.

She sighs, wrinkling her nose at the door as she hears the lock slide into place, lingering for a moment before turning to head back to the party. As she looks up, she sees Paeris, back against the wall of the hallway, seemingly unwilling to have to wait for her to give him a sign to join her for the evening.

He gives her a sly grin as she approaches, nodding in the direction over her shoulder, and says, "Have I so completely misread you then?"

It takes her a beat before Poppet makes the connection. She feels her cheeks warm before she looks to Alex's door and then back to Paeris. Her laughter spills from her before she can worry about offending the man, but she notices he looks pleased anyway.

"Alex and me?" she manages through her giggles, "Oh no! Perhaps in another world where we both aren't so broken. But in this one, he is simply a stalwart companion of mine, and a dear friend despite his stubbornness."

Poppet notices Paeris looks relieved as he offers her his arm and leads her back out to the party.

Before she is able to slip away into the crowd of people, he leans down and says in her ear, "I admit this must be a first, to see an azata at one of Coronal's events."

At this, he looks over to where Ellete is challenging a very distracted Lo to a drinking contest; the two scantily-clad women cuddling in the seat next to him stealing most of his attention. Poppet turns her face into Paeris' shoulder, trying to hide her laughter at the azata's antics.

"Ellete," Poppet supplies, seeing amusement dancing behind the elf's lavender colored eyes.

She rolls her eyes before indulging his curiosity further, "My familiar."

She sees recognition flash across his face before he reaches across with his free hand to thread his fingers with her own wrapped around his arm, "You are certainly much more than you appear to others. I admit, I have kept my eye on you all day."

Poppet raises an eyebrow at the man, "Oh?"

She is pleased when he looks a little sheepish as he says, "I greatly enjoyed watching you dive. You are provocative without trying, and the grace with which you move is a pleasing side benefit."

Poppet cannot help but accept his sentiments and says, "Are you suggesting I'm graceful?"

Paeris shakes his head and replies, "No, I am declaring it. It was not a subject for debate."

Poppet laughs again, and allows the elf to steer her towards a bench by the pool. As he claims the seat next to her, he motions to a gnome behind a bar to bring drinks.

Poppet grins at the man and asks him, "Has anyone ever told you that you are one _smooth_ mother fucker?"

Paeris freezes momentarily at her language before shooting her an astonished expression. He shakes his head and erupts into deep laughter, and Poppet can't help but flush warmly at the sound, wondering how she can keep him laughing for the rest of the night.

Poppet notices the gnome behind the bar gives a wave in their direction and Paeris rises gracefully from his seat to go collect their drinks. Poppet watches as he strikes up a conversation with his fellow employee when someone plops down onto the vacated seat beside her. Looking back sharply, Poppet softens her look and offers a smile when she sees Coronal seated beside her, looking between herself and Paeris.

"Coronal," she greets him with a tip of her head, willing the warmness at her cheeks to diminish.

She notices that Coronal appears to be well into his cups already, the high flush on his cheeks having little to do with the atmosphere, "Poppet, wasn't it?" he asks her with a grin, giving her a knowing look over the top of his tinted glasses.

She hums an affirmative at him as she hears Paeris erupt into another round of deep laughter, and her gaze shifts across the yard to him with a smile lighting up her face.

"If just his smile makes you flush with warmth," she hears Coronal say, turning to regard him as he leans in conspiratorially, "just imagine how hot he might make you burn if you were beneath him in his bed?"

Poppet looks at Coronal in shock, and lets out something of a startled laugh.

She can't find her voice to reply when Coronal says, "Have a good night," nor to the accompanying wink, simply following his form with wide eyes as he gets up and goes to mingle with other party goers some distance away.

She's still staring at the man when Paeris returns with a pair of drinks, and he sighs as he takes in her scandalized look focused on his employer, "Whatever he said," he begins, handing Poppet a drink and smiling at her charmingly when her eyes finally slide back to him.

He notices the color at her cheeks darken a bit as her eyes dart to Coronal and then back to him, and he continues, "I don't condone it…"

He trails off as her distressed look is replaced by one of amusement, "It's nothing," she finally manages, taking a long sip of her drink. When she looks back up at him, she has adopted a rather sly expression as she says, "He simply speaks _very_ highly of you."

The party outside lasts well into the night. Poppet returns to join Myne in her birthday celebration, but frequently slips away to indulge in a drink with Paeris by the pool. She does catch a raised eyebrow from the likes of Tarian when he stumbles past her and Paeris at one point, pointedly measuring up the elf beside her. The rogue quickly moves on at the unabashed smile from Paeris, much to Poppet's amusement. Myne manages to keep control of herself, and for the most part sticks to fruit drinks so that she can keep her senses through the long day of revelry. She stays by the pool or in it, and tries to be just another face at the party, enjoying the water and the thrill of diving into it. She tries to nonchalantly glance in Roth's direction, but when she does catch his eye she gives an embarrassed smile and turns away, unsure of how to talk to him in a party atmosphere. He seemed to be enjoying himself, but was also unwilling to make a move other than to be near where she was.

When both Poppet and Myne give up on trying to stay awake any longer, they decide to make their way to their beds. Despite Myne's attempts to keep the drinking under control, she is still slightly tipsy, as was Poppet from indulging in the drinks that Paeris gave her. They each support the weight of the other, and together they make their way slowly through the estate, accompanied with giggles about the day's events. As they round the corner of the hallway, the door to Myne's chamber comes into view, and the girls stumble towards it. Poppet leans with her back against the wall as Myne tries to paw open the door, laughter shaking her form too much for her to make much progress.

From down the hallway, an amused voice reaches the two of them, "Ahh, if it isn't the flower and the goddess."

Poppet's head whips up to see Paeris strolling towards the two of them. She blushes slightly, mouth spreading into a soft smile. Myne snorts at her friend's reaction to the suave elf, then yelps as Poppet jabs an elbow into her ribs. Giggles erupt from the redhead, and she rests her weight on the door in front of her to prevent herself from sliding down to the floor.

"Hello there," Poppet replies with a smile, offering the elf a coy look.

Myne gives Paeris a wide grin and a wave over her shoulder just as she finally manages to open the door. With the solid form she had been leaning against suddenly giving way, Myne nearly falls into her room, catching herself at the last possible moment.

"Myne!" Poppet exclaims, rushing into the doorway to check on her friend.

She hears Paeris chuckle at their antics as she yanks Myne up and towards her bed. As she helps the druid into bed-pointedly ignoring the wet clothes the druid still wore-Poppet looks over her shoulder to see Paeris watching them from the doorway, amusement dancing across his face. She feels Myne subtly push her towards the door and looks down at her friend, not missing the grin adorning Myne's face.

"Go," Myne mouths at her, looking back towards the door.

Poppet rolls her eyes at her friend, and leans down to plant a loud, smacking kiss on Myne's forehead. Poppet moves back to where Paeris hovers just beyond the doorway, grabbing the handle of the door and swinging it shut behind her as she crosses the threshold of the room. She stops abruptly as the door latches closed; Paeris hadn't moved back to make any room for the sylph, resulting in Poppet being caged between the elf and the door. She flushes and leans back against the wood, forcing herself to take a deep breath to curb the faint rise of panic.

"Is the flower all tucked into bed then?" Paeris asks with a smile, taking a step back to give the woman space.

Looking up at Paeris beneath her lashes, Poppet hums an affirmative and lays her palms flush against the door, smoothing her fingers along the wood. Shyness suddenly rising to the surface, Poppet breaks eye contact with the elf and gazes down the hallway.

"Are your rooms in this part of the estate as well?" she asks, glancing back at him.

His grin stretches in a predatory manner, before he chuckles and asks, "Are you truly interested in where my rooms are? I would gladly show you the door if you promise to visit me…"

He trails off as Poppet flushes a deeper red. _Shy_ , he notes, eyes darkening as the woman bites her bottom lip, _but clearly interested_.

As Poppet stammers for a reply, Paeris leans in and rests his forearm against the door by her head. She blinks at him owlishly and sinks back, arching her neck to meet his gaze. She takes a quick inhale of breath as Paeris moves in close to her, pausing just before meeting her mouth. The elf watches her for a moment, allowing her a final chance to push him away. Seeing her gaze back beneath hooded eyes, desire clear as day, Paeris leans forward and brushes his lips against hers. He feels Poppet tense briefly, and he is instantly worried that he has misread the woman, but slowly she relaxes and returns the kiss. Though he had been lusting after the petite goddess all day, he found the tender innocence of her kiss to be oddly endearing. His intentions of keeping the kiss chaste quickly crumble to pieces when he feels Poppet melt back against the door, and her hands come up to rest gently against his bare chest. Deepening the kiss, Paeris wraps an arm around her waist to tangle in the robe she had draped about her form, instantly aware of the bare skin of her back separated from him by only the thin barrier of silk. The amount of skin she had causally shown all day had teased him to no end. Suddenly, he feels her completely freeze, and he immediately releases the girl, separating himself from the witch. Paeris takes a step back from her frozen form, and sees her wide-eyed stare gazing at him in mortification and utter terror.

"I'm sorry!" she gasps, tattooed hand reaching up to cover her mouth.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Poppet shakes her head and mutters again, "I am so sorry! It's not you! You did nothing wrong!"

Feeling tears begin to gather at her lashes, Poppet hurriedly wipes the heel of her hand against her eyes and slides down the door in a heap. Paeris, torn between keeping his distance to prevent causing the blonde further distress, and finding some way to comfort her, hovers awkwardly for a moment before moving to kneel before her.

"Poppet," he says her name gently, reaching out and taking her hand in his, pulling it away from her face.

When she looks up at him, she shakes her head and cuts him off, "I'm not _good_ at this!"

She drops her gaze and adds in a mumble, "I never have been."

Paeris smiles softly and starts tracing the markings on the back of her hand with his thumb, "It is fine, my goddess, you owe me no explanation."

She gives him a humorless laugh, choking once on a hiccup of tears, "You were right, earlier. When you suggested I had run from Kish," she tells him, sighing deeply.

She appreciates that he doesn't try and draw out the answers from her, instead waiting for her to continue at her own pace.

She lets her head fall back to thump against the door, "I grew up in Gangai, too quickly orphaned by my human mother. I wound up a serving maid to elven aristocrats. They took me in, believing me half elven due to the nature of my aging, and I never bothered to correct them. The lady of the house spoiled me to no end; she had always wanted a daughter…"

She sees Paeris smile at her, and arches a brow at him in question.

He gives in, explaining, "I was imagining you as a young, spoiled girl."

He chuckles softly when she rolls her eyes at him, "Ah yes, I'm sure there was much eye rolling and nose wrinkling at people. You must have been adorable."

Her exhausted, tittering laugh draws forth another chuckle of his own, satisfaction settling deep within him that he could still bring her laughter even while she was distressed so.

She continues her story, "As I grew older, my lady's ire began to grow. I didn't understand at the time, of course. As long-lived as we all were, the slow deterioration of our relationship did not even register to me until I'd long lost her favor."

"I don't understand," Paeris tells her when she struggles to continue, "What had you done to displease your mistress so?"

Poppet huffs out a breath, grinning lazily at him, "I grew up," she tells him simply.

When the confusion marring his face doesn't fade, Poppet gives him a strained laugh. She reaches up with her free hand to the side of her neck, sliding her hand down her collarbone and watching Paeris' eyes trace the path of her hand.

She tells him again, "I grew up," sliding her hand between the valley of her breasts and along her stomach, watching his gaze drawn down with her hand.

"And her husband very much enjoyed forcing himself on younger conquests," she finishes as her hand curls into her lap.

His gaze, however, snaps up to her face, comprehension chilling his expression. She is glad, immensely relieved in fact, that she sees no pity in his gaze, only shock and anger.

She speaks again before he can find his own voice, "I was still much too young when he cornered me in my rooms the first time. It was harsh, and painful, and he cared little for my own comfort as he pinned me face-first into the wall of my chambers."

She lets her face drop forward as she feels tears begin to well again. Paeris leans forward and brings his other hand to her face, tilting her head back up. He hesitates a moment, hand under her chin, before wiping Poppet's tears away. Breath shuddering slightly, Poppet gives the man a grateful smile.

She sighs and shakes her head again, "When he finally took his leave of me, he left me with an intricate wooden box containing the most beautiful pair of earrings I had ever seen, let alone owned. I locked the damn box away in my dresser, refusing to even open the drawer, and I pretended it never happened. I thought for sure that the knowledge of her husband's atrocity would be too much for my lady to endure, and despite everything I still longed for her to treat me as she once did. It wasn't for a year or so that I realized she knew, that she had always known! And she didn't care, not enough to stop it, or even confront her husband! In fact, she resented _me_ for it; if only I hadn't grow up to be such a pretty thing! Then her husband wouldn't need to stray!"

Clenching her jaw, Poppet tries to calm herself down, lest her voice carry to anyone else besides the man sitting before her. Closing her eyes, Poppet lets her breath leave her in a long sigh.

She then opens her eyes and smirks sadly at Paeris, "I don't even know why I'm explaining this all to you. I have not told this to anyone in the forty odd years since it has happened…"

Paeris inhales deeply, trying to process all the information he had been presented with. He stands, pulling Poppet up by the hand still within his own, his other hand coming to hesitantly rest in the tangle of curls at the base of her neck. He feels her tense briefly, nearly pulling his hand back, before she sighs and seems deflate, stepping into him to rest against his chest.

He holds her for a moment before he can find his voice, "I am glad you've told someone. No one should have to go through anything that appalling, let alone to endure in silence. I hope you know I would never betray your story to anyone, my gentle goddess."

He hears a muffled laugh from her, her shoulders gently rising and falling beneath his arm, "I know a rogue who'd pay you good money for my past," she finally says between one giggle and the next.

Reluctantly, she steps back from Paeris and regards him, "I thank you. Truly. I… am unaccustomed to placing my trust in people. I blame Myne, she is a horrid influence," she tells him with a mostly dry wink.

Paeris nods at the sylph with a smile, watching as she pieces herself back together.

She offers him a grateful smile. "Please, don't feel the need to hover, I will be fine. Myne is probably beside herself trying to figure out what is happening out here, and then I plan on finding my bed and passing into oblivion."

Paeris gives Poppet a small bow and a smile, "Goodnight then, my goddess. May your dreams bring you every happiness."

"Goodnight," Poppet murmurs to him, watching his form disappear down the hallway before letting herself into Myne's room.

She moves to the bed on her tiptoes, wondering if the druid had actually fallen asleep, noticing the girl had changed into a soft chemise for sleep. As she gets close, Myne's eyes flutter open, and she orders Poppet to change as well. Laughing softly at the younger woman's demands, Poppet makes quick work of changing out of her swimsuit and robe before heading back and sitting down on the edge of Myne's bed, running her hands through the short strands of the druid's hair. She gives little resistance when Myne grabs her hand and pulls her down on the bed with her, thankful that her friend did not peer too closely at her red-rimmed eyes and tear-stained cheeks. Poppet lets out of sigh of comfort as she rests her head on the pillow next to Myne, and begins to curl up beside her.

Myne snuggles her face into her pillow, wraps her arms around Poppet from behind her and says, "You can stay here tonight, I don't mind. We both might be thinking about someone we wish to have next to us, so tonight we can pretend that we are that person for each other."

Poppet smiles to herself as she feels the warm comfort of Myne's embrace, and begins to drift off to sleep with thoughts of Paeris, and what it might be like to have him there.

"But don't for one-minute think you're getting out of telling me what you two were up to out there!" Myne tells Poppet.

Poppet can almost feel the wide grin stretching across Myne's face as she continues, "I demand details before breakfast!"

She laughs at Poppet's half-hearted protests before the witch drifts off into sleep. Despite the alcohol, Myne's mind is not ready to sleep. She thinks back about her day, smiling at special moments, and biting her lip in regret for not approaching Roth. She was quite sure that most of the party-goers were completely unaware of why they were partying, it was just more important that they were at the party. This birthday was certainly the most unique, and it was the first time she had celebrated a milestone like this without her family, but she corrects herself when she thinks about how much this group was her new family. She falls asleep in her feather bed with a smile, with Poppet curled up at her side, happy that despite the fact that the group was continuing to move closer to more dangers, they could still find the time to enjoy each other occasionally.

From their group, all but Lo and Ellete make their way to their beds before the rest of the revelers call it quits, which does not happen until the sun is nearly up the next day. Lo ends up falling asleep in a lounge chair by the pool with Ellete on his chest, and many other partiers sleep in similar circumstances. When Coronal throws a party, his regular guests know they are in it for a full 24 hours.

For some, the following day is just an extension of the day before. For others, the following day is one of recovery. The group knew they were to embark the next day, and they were all relieved to have one more day to relax and sleep off their hangovers and exhaustion. For those that did not indulge too heavily, it was another day filled with the pleasures of the sun-soaked pool and gardens. After a brief, very abbreviated run-through of her conversation with Paeris to Myne (glossing over all details of her past) Poppet heads out to linger by the pool in the morning hoping to catch a glimpse of the elf. As the pool comes into view, she finds him purifying the waters with a wave of his wand.

She approaches him carefully and says, "So how was the rest of your night?"

Paeris turns and gives her a wink and says, "I did not take you to bed, so it was not as fruitful as I hoped."

Poppet nearly sighs in relief that her breakdown from the night before hadn't soured _whatever_ it was that was developing between the two of them, "I hope you found sleep quickly after I left you?" he asks her quietly, moving in to briefly caress Poppet's cheek with his knuckles.

Poppet blushes and replies, "Mmm, twas not hard to fall into a dreamless slumber with a warm druid curled against my back."

She watches in confusion as his eyebrows raise, and he begins to chuckle deeply, "Oh! So, your plan was to refute me in order to warm the flower's bed instead?" he asks with a smirk.

Finally catching on, Poppet flushes darkly, nearly matching the dark burgundy of the scarf woven between her curls, "That is not what I meant!" she nearly shrieks, watching flabbergasted while Paeris loses his composure and throws his head back laughing.

Poppet buries her face in her hands, but soon joins in with her own giggling, "Gods, she and I have spent a rather sizeable amount of nights curled up in the same bed," she manages between peals of laughter, winking at Paeris when he finally looks back to her.

He grins deviously at her, "Oh, don't get me wrong, my goddess. I would not complain if I had knowledge of you and the flower tangling in the sheets together, especially if you're inclined to invite me-"

Poppet throws herself at the elf and cups her hands against his mouth, "Enough!" she begs, breaking into laughter again.

As they both get their laughter under control, Poppet removes her hands from Paeris's face, but stays close to the elf. He smiles at her, bringing a hand up to gently rest at her waist, relieved when she barely tenses and allows the touch.

He tells her, "I always enjoy mingling at Coronal's parties, but the highlight of that day was actually when you and the flower indulged me with conversation. Even if I was worried I had ruined everything last night by kissing you."

Poppet flushes, but takes a step closer to the elf.

She sighs and says, "I am sorry, but I am afraid that I'm still sometimes that broken girl that ran from Gangai, as much as I may wish otherwise. But I wanted to let you know that I admire you, and I can say that after knowing you for just a day. You are as open as a book, and clearly well-read and traveled. I only wish I could get to know you a bit more. We leave tomorrow, and I wanted to make sure I had the chance to wish you well. Perhaps I will come back this way as a different person."

Poppet hesitates for a moment before reaching up, and freeing the silk scarf she had tied her hair back with. Her curls tumble loosely down her back and she quickly folds up the silk. Silently, she reaches out and grabs his free hand, places the scarf in his palm, and curls his fingers around it. When she finally looks up, Paeris smiles at her before reaching out and catching her retreating hand. He lifts her hand up and kisses the inside of her wrist.

As Poppet blushes up at the man, he grins at her and says, "I hope so, too. I'll be waiting."

 **22nd of Pharast:** **Leaving Coronal's Pleasures Behind**

The next morning, Alex wakes before the sun is even up. He is still in a bad mood from the past couple of days' events in Coronal's mansion, and did not want to deal with any of it. He tells a servant that he has left so that the others do not panic when they find him gone, and quietly makes his way to the docks alone.

A couple of hours later, the rest of the group wakes to pack, purchase any last-minute items, and make their way to the docks with Kamara. When they reach the _Duchess of Wati_ , they are happy to see that the ship looks whole again. The group is in awe at the amount of work that must have been needed to repair the main mast in such a brief period, but it was done, and from their inexpert eyes it was done well. There is a lot of movement around the ship as dockworkers load the ship with supplies, and presumably goods for trade.

Kamara admires her ship with her arms akimbo, and without turning her eyes away, she addresses the group, "We will be sailing east on the sea for 24 days. We will make port at the city of Lucida in the nation of Luna. It's an island nation, still to the south of the main continent of Stora, and the island is considered the religious center for all of Nordost. There are a lot of temples to each god, especially in the capital city of Luna, Shangri. Many people make pilgrimages to the city to pay homage to their god or goddess. We set sail in an hour, so get yourselves on board, and get comfortable."

They all shoulder their packs and make their way down to the cabins. Roth, Myne, and Poppet find Alex waiting in their quarters as they expected, and he barely acknowledges their appearance; choosing to sit quietly on his bed reading. Roth checks for the supplies that he had left on the ship, which includes his armor. He is happy to see that nothing looks out of place, and drops his pack next to his bunk. Myne and Poppet also drop off their packs on their own bunks, and the three of them make their way above deck to prepare for the launch, choosing to likewise ignore the surly paladin.

Kamara is in her element once more, and she breathes in the sea air as the ship launches away from the harbor.

She nods her approval as the sails are unfurled and catch the morning breeze, and shouts to her crew, "Alright mates, the port city of Lucida is calling!"

Their first day of travel begins and ends with perfect sailing conditions and quiet contentedness on the ship as the work of keeping the ship on course and functioning is carried out effortlessly. The group has high hopes for a calm three weeks of travel as they climb into their bunks at night.


	42. Voyage to Isidore: 23rd Phar-12th Gozran

**23rd of Pharast: A Threat in the Night**

It is the late evening of their second day at sea, and the _Duchess of Wati_ is still navigating the Murcia Seaway. Some of the crew, along with Alex and Roth, have already called it a night, and have retired to their quarters. The rest of the group and some of the crew are still in the galley enjoying one last drink and playing cards. Poppet has hit it off with the female changeling named Faten, who is the healer for the ship. They sit and giggle with each other, swapping salve recipes as they drink their wine. Myne and the half-elf twins are trying to play a card game with Mastodon, however because the gruff half-orc hides his face behind a mask, they find it very hard to tell when he is bluffing. Lo, Tarian, and Ellete are laughing over their beers as they exchange dirty jokes.

A horrific scream from down the hallway silences the revelry in the galley, and they all stand up quickly. Just outside the galley doorway, they see one of the sailors come into view in a stumble, and then fall over dead across the threshold. Myne rushes to the sailor's aid, and finds a crossbow bolt sticking out of his back. She looks to the others, who gather up their weapons that are never kept too far from their sides, and make their way into the gloom of the hallway. There are only two ways to go, and the sound of the scream had come from the right. At the far end of the hallway on the other side of the ship, Roth and Alex sleep on, unaware of the intruder on the ship. Tarian takes one side of the hallway to start the search for the intruder and make his way to Alex and Roth while Poppet, Lo, Myne and Mastodon make their way up to the deck to check to see if the intruder might be trying to escape the ship.

Roth's senses jolt him out of sleep, and he hears the sounds of commotion and talking. He hears Alex snoring in the lower bunk on the other side of the room, and looks around to see if something is out of place. He lets out a gasp as he realizes that his thundering longbow is not in its place. He jumps down from his bunk, and shakes Alex awake.

Alex gives him a muffled, "Mmmph, wassup?"

Roth whispers, "My bow is missing. Something is not right here."

Alex pulls himself up, and out of dream world, and looks around for his own gear. He sees that his sword has not been swiped, and pulls on some of his gear and sword belt while Roth grabs his compound longbow and a quiver of arrows.

Up on deck, it is a quiet night with the usual minimal night crew. They seem to be unaware of anything amiss, so Lo quickly warns the crew about the intruder on board, and to be on high alert. The group makes their way back below deck, and heads towards the captain's quarters to warn her of the threat. What they see is slightly unnerving: the door to the captain's quarters is slightly ajar. They all quietly approach the door, listening for any sounds from within, and Mastodon rests his ear next to the door to see if he can hear anything. It seems quiet, so he pushes the door open and looks inside. They find the room to be completely still, but they can't see much in the gloom. Poppet casts a light on Mastodon's chest piece, and the half-orc begins to glow like a beacon. They gasp as they see that the bedsheets have been strewn all over the floor, and the captain is gone. The back windows of her quarters are still latched, and there could have been no other way out of the room other than through the very door they entered. So, the captain was gone, but she did not exit through the windows or head to the deck. Their only option now was to make their way further below deck. They each say a little prayer that they would find the captain alive.

Down in the quarters, Roth sees Tarian sneaking past the doorway and jokingly whispers to him, "Lovely meeting you here at night, Tarian. What's going on here?"

Tarian says, "One of the crew members has been shot, I came down here to see if I could find anything, and to grab you two."

Roth nods and says, "Let's go down to the cargo area, my thundering longbow is gone! There is a set of stairs further down the hall leading down… I haven't heard anything, and I don't hear anything now, but that doesn't mean there's nothing there."

Alex suddenly lets out his breath and says, "I can sense evil here, be ready for anything… give me just a moment to put on the rest of my gear, I'm not taking any chances now."

Once Alex has his gear on, they all make their way back into the hallway, and as Roth scans the back of the hallway, he catches sight of a shadowy shape that moves around the corner. Roth carefully uses hand signals to point out the adversary, and Alex quietly draws his sword. Tarian and Roth take different directions to try to flank the shadowy figure, and Alex follows with Roth.

Mastodon lights the way for Poppet, Myne, and Lo on the other end of the ship. They realize that Mastodon is now an easy target for someone hiding in the dark, but at the same time if anyone wanted to make Mastodon their target, gods help them because they won't live for long after that. Suddenly Mastodon sees a figure moving around further down the hallway, and points it out to his comrades. Myne shapeshifts into a grizzly bear, Poppet casts Life Link on Ellete, and Lo stands towards the back, waiting with anticipation.

At the other end of the hallway, Roth and Tarian meet up with each other again in front of the stairway that leads down to the cargo hold. On the floor, Roth sees that the dust has been disturbed recently, and there are three distinct sets of footprints leading down: two look like medium-sized feet, and the third set looks small. As he points this out to Tarian and Alex, they see the bright light of Mastodon's chest piece float into view, and Roth points out the same to the rest of the group. They all head down the stairs, trying to anticipate anything. They hear a sound at the far end of the cargo hold. It is a large space filled with rows of boxes, crates, and sacks of goods: lots of cover and hiding places. Tarian begins to stealth and carefully walk towards the sounds, but Myne's impatience at wanting to not miss an ambush opportunity sends her rushing towards the noise with her claws out. Luckily, her claws catch on the wood planking and she falls face-first right into the source of the noise, which turns out to be Kamara and Coronal in various stages of undress. The sudden ambush and attack from the large bear makes them both scream in fright and surprise, and Myne tries to backpedal off of them as quickly as she can.

The rest of the group catches up to the action in time to watch Myne backpedaling off of the couple. The comic sight puts some of the group off their guard, but Roth senses movement from behind the lovers near a crate, and shouts out as a crossbow bolt comes whizzing towards them. Rauros manages to dodge the bolt, which bursts upon impact, spreading goo on the floor that becomes tough and resilient, adhering itself to the floor after a couple seconds. They know that this must be their evil adversary, and it was small in stature. Another crossbow bolt strikes Tarian, and they sense movement that suggests their attacker has relocated. Roth heads around the crates, trying to catch sight of the enemy, but doesn't see it. Poppet surrounds herself with swirling winds by casting Breeze-Kissed, hoping to divert any bolts heading in her direction. She then casts Mage Armor on Alex. Alex heads in the opposite direction of Roth, trying to fan out and find the enemy, but doesn't see anything. Lo plays his lute to Inspire Courage, and hopefully distract their evasive enemy. Tarian goes in the opposite direction of Mastodon, and sees the creature on top of a series of crates.

He takes a shot that misses and shouts, "It's the quickling, Vexxo!"

Myne and Rauros rush to where Tarian is pointing and climb the crates to deliver a series of claws and bites to the quickling. Vexxo fires his crossbow bolt point-blank at Myne, and as the shot bursts on her, goo wraps around her paws, solidifying her to the crates. He reloads another bolt and fires at another set of crates, which burst into flame. The group realizes that the crossbow he is carrying is rather unique, with a stack of bolts and a chamber of chemicals affixed to the weapon. He turns to run, and Myne manages to take a bite out of him before he sprints away so quickly that he vanishes.

Roth uses his tracking skills to pick up on a trail of blood that the creature is leaving behind, but cannot get his sights on him. Poppet can't get on top of the crates to help Myne escape from where she is cemented to the crates, but she sends Ellete up to see what she can do.

Ellete flutters around the goo and then shouts out, "It's Tanglefoot goo, you're S.O.L.! It will break apart on its own, but it will be a while!"

Alex follows in Roth's wake, trying to pick up on the creature, but cannot find any sign of Vexxo. Lo attempts to grease the crate in Vexxo's last known direction, but it does not reveal the creature. Mastodon also cannot locate him, but he does pick up on the blood trail in another direction. Tarian heads in Roth's direction, and also cannot locate Vexxo. He throws caltrops down one row of crates, also hoping to trip up the quickling when it runs. Myne rocks back and forth on the crate, and bites at the adhesive. She manages to free herself from the goo in time to see a glass vial getting lobbed into the air. When it shatters on some crates, there is an explosion that sets half the cargo hold on fire.

Roth follows the trajectory of the glass vial to its source and spots Vexxo hiding behind a stack of sacks, and slams the quickling with two arrows. Poppet casts Heroism on Myne while Ellete casts Starlight on the now-visible Vexxo. Alex casts Smite Evil and brings his sword down hard on the quickling, and Lo Blinds the creature. Mastodon hits with two swings of his great sword and Tarian fires a well-aimed arrow, knocking the quickling out. Myne and Rauros arrive in full rage, and despite the fact that the quickling is already knocked out, Rauros rips into the quickling, grabbing it in his mouth and ripping it apart. The rest of the group looks on in horror, realizing too late that the bear would do what it does best when encountering any threat.

Myne shapeshifts into her normal form, and commands Rauros by shouting, "Drop it! Drop! Down! No more chew toy!" but it is too late: the quickling is dead, along with any hope of interrogating the creature.

Myne sighs and says, "Sorry guys."

They cannot linger long on the loss, since the cargo hold is ablaze. With the threat neutralized, dripping with blood, and coated in bear slobber, Kamara rushes out to get water to put out the blaze. The group forms a line and with a quick bucket brigade, they manage to put out the blaze without losing too much of the goods or compromising the hold itself.

When the area is safe, Tarian searches the dead quickling and finds his repeating crossbow, 8 tangle bolts, 50 gold, and a Bag of Holding. When they open the bag, they find Roth's thundering longbow inside, and Roth breathes a sigh of relief at getting the treasure back.

As Tarian is searching the body, Kamara leans over his shoulder to look at the creature and says, "What the hell was that?"

The group explains as best they can about the pair of quicklings they encountered many months ago, and it is news to Alex, Mastodon, and Poppet as well. With that explanation taken care of, they turn to Coronal, who had been standing as close as he could to the dead creature without attracting attention, looking at it with excitement and awe.

Poppet shouts out, "And what on Golarion are you doing here, Coronal?"

He sighs and says, "Do you have any idea how boring it is just staying at home? I want some excitement!"

Myne responds with, "Well you are certainly going to get it where we're going..."

As their conversation continues, Tarian slips away and heads up to Kamara's quarters with a single mind and purpose: he wants Bruzo's items, and he had spied her placing those items into a strongbox in her room. After making sure the coast is clear, he sneaks in and pulls out his lock-picking set. He unlocks the chest, and carefully disarms the traps, taking out the item he was sure she would not miss: the ring.

After the excitement of the night, they slowly make their way to their bunks, thankful to not have to endure anything further before a good night's rest. The fact that an agent of the Organization had made it onto their ship undetected makes them uneasy, and they wonder what else the Organization will be able to do, even as they are isolated at sea on a ship.

 **24th of Pharast-9th of Gozran:** **Smooth Sailing**

Over the next few days, the _Duchess of Wati_ makes its way out of the Murcia Seaway, hugging the coastline of the Horn of Kish. They reach the tip of the horn around midday on the 29th of Pharast, and in the distance, they see the Temple of Sarenrae high on a cliff. The sandstone temple is a magnificent sight, even as a witness of it from far off.

Kamara points off the port side of the ship, announcing the temple as a landmark for traveling these seas, and smiles as she says, "Right on course and on time! When we round the Horn of Kish we will head out into more open waters, into the Quinopia Sea. Enjoy the look of land while you can, we shan't see it again until we reach the northwestern shore of Luna, about two weeks from now."

 **10th of Gozran:** **The Ranger Hunts the Rabbit**

Another peaceful day of sea travel passes uneventfully, and the day crew and group retreat to the galley like always to relax and enjoy the evening. As night creeps in, the group sits around a large table enjoying drinks and sharing tales of old, but Roth seems restless and dismal. He sits in a chair away from the rest of the group staring into his pint glass, idly double-checking his bowstring every few minutes.

Lo notices the brooding elf, and shouts out, "Roth, join us for a pint? You're glaring so darkly at the table I'm afraid it might wither from under us."

Roth turns to the group and grimaces as he says, "I haven't _seen_ dry land in days; haven't hunted in weeks! Let's just say I've been better."

Myne eyes him, taking note of the gaunt expression and tense muscles of the ranger, thinking, _There must be something I can do to ease his troubled spirit..._

Scrambling to bring a plan together, Myne jumps the table, punches Roth playfully in the chest, and declares, "I'm sure that we can find something to evoke the thrill of the hunt for you on this ship!"

She pauses as Roth looks up at her, bewilderment clear on his face, and she hears the soft laughter of the others chittering around her. She feels a soft flick on the back of her arm and turns slightly to see Poppet retracting her arm. The witch catches Myne's eyes and gives the younger girl a once over, ending with a smirk and raised eyebrow.

Catching on, Myne grins despite her warming cheeks and whips back around to the ranger, declaring, "Catch me if you can!"

With that, she gleefully takes off towards the door with a squeal of excitement, her bare feet pounding the planks before shapeshifting into a snowy rabbit and slipping out through the door with a scurry of paws. Cantankerous laughter from those in the galley follow the druid as her tail disappears into the darkness of the ship. On instinct Roth grabs his quiver from the side table where it had been resting, pausing only a moment while he tries to understand Myne's actions, a wry smile finally breaking through the frown that had haunted him for days. In his moment of stillness, Poppet grins and reaches out a tattooed arm to lightly graze along the ranger's bow, a soft light illuminating the object at her touch.

"You will never find her if you cannot see the path that has been laid before you!" she shouts as Roth sprints towards the door.

Cheers of encouragement sound muted to his ears as he lets himself focus on the soft tread of small paws. In the dark of the ship, Roth's senses alight at the anticipation of the hunt. He slows down his pace to listen carefully to his surroundings, using the strange echoes of the ship to guide him to his companion. As he moves further into the ship, he notes a few areas that have oil lamps to guide his way, with long swaths of darkness giving the druid ample opportunities to hide. Roth uses the light gently rolling from his bow to place his feet in the correct direction, giving a silent thanks to Poppet for her magic. When he begins to inspect a pile of crates in an alcove, the white rabbit sprints out from behind the pile, and he fires a well-placed arrow in front of her in order to divert her path. She dodges the shot easily, as intended, but the arrow does what it is supposed to do: instead of sprinting towards one of the cabins she takes the flight of stairs down into the cargo area. He runs after her, vaulting the stair bannister and jumping several stairs at a time, anticipating the direction and closing the distance between them.

The chase continues in the maze of the cargo area, with Roth firing another couple of arrows to lead her path until she ends up down an aisle lined with cargo that she cannot escape from. Myne tries to climb the sacks stacked tight to the back of the hull, but she cannot find purchase in the small form to pull herself up. Hearing the hunter close in on her location, Myne crouches next to the wall in wait. When Roth rounds the corner, and sees that he has her trapped, he stops in front of the passage, blocking her escape route. The end of the chase sends Roth's mind into action as he looks at the small white rabbit at the end of the row: his quarry.

He muses to himself, _Of all the shapes she could have chosen, either consciously or not, she picked one that I can only give chase to. Once a rabbit is cornered they are defenseless… although there is one other thing a rabbit is known for, and it's not fighting_.

He gives a small smile at the thought, wondering again at the druid's forethought and intentions, and begins to slowly walk towards her.

Myne shapeshifts back into her own body, leans against the hull, puts her hands up in mock surrender, and says with a little laugh, "Well ranger, you have caught me. Now... what do you intend to do with me?"

He continues to slowly walk towards her, trying to keep his mind from straying to the answer he wants to give her: he had longed for her for some time, but was unsure if he could make an advance.

He pulls his hunter senses in front of his emotions and thinks, _Never take your eyes off the quarry, and anticipate anything… especially important for quarry that can change shape at will. No problem, not hard to keep my eyes on a soft creature wearing nothing but cut-off breeches and a linen shirt with the laces open and the sleeves cut off. Gods, she has no idea..._

As the distance between the two closes, Roth watches as Myne's face softens in a smile with a flush of red, thinking, _And so the rabbit realizes how many options I have at my disposal to answer her question._

His mind strays back to desire as he eyes her neckline and chest as she breathes deeply and swallows hard; he was making her nervous, but not fearful. She slowly lowers her hands as he sets down his bow and quiver on a nearby crate and approaches her, causing a soft glow to illuminate the small area of the hold. He could tell she was waiting for him to answer her, but he was not silver-tongued like his father; his words would only get in the way here. If he was as his father, he could have charmed Myne into his bed long ago, but now he was not even sure if he should. His situation could get complicated if he answers her question the way he wants to, and still tries to lead the group through their mission.

When he is close enough to reach out to her, he pauses, eyeing her as she tries to keep herself composed and thinks, _Part human...so vulnerable_.

He puts his hands on the hull on either side of Myne, trapping her against it as he tries to work out his dilemma, thinking, _I can still walk away, but if I want her now is my chance_.

As he looks down at her, he sees that she is trembling slightly in anticipation and nervousness: he had never been this close to her before, other than when he carried her unconscious body to a bunk on the _Lady Sedna_. Roth feels his chest constrict at the memory of holding her frail form in his arms; he had thought the worst in that moment. Yet here she stood, alive and quivering with anticipation.

Roth sighs as he admires eyes that could only come from his quarry's elven heritage: large, almond-shaped eyes the color of blue-green sea ice, and he realizes that she had never taken her eyes away from him; he was being hunted too, _Can she read my thoughts then_?

She takes a shuddering breath and whispers in Elvish, "I am yours."

He blinks as if throwing off all the weight of his indecisiveness and insecurities.

He could no longer distract himself with the hunt, could not argue with himself over what he wanted; she had chosen her words carefully to break him out of his conflicted reverie. She had surrendered herself in the language of his people; reminding him of home, the forest, and what they both cared and were fighting for. It was the reason they were brought together, and the reason they may not have much time left.

Just as she had surrendered, so does he, leaning in to carefully kiss her. She warmly welcomes him, returning the kiss with eagerness and a small measure of inexperience. She may have been willing, but he would need to lead.

Wanting to reassure her, he finally finds his voice in between kisses and whispers back to her in Elvish, "You led us in the cold forests near Ano Liosia, I shall lead us here."

His words seem to ease her tension, and she lets out of sigh that sounds almost otherworldly to Roth. He feels her magic release around him in a wave, making the wood in the hull creak and sprout branches with the bright green leaves of spring. At their feet grass begins to sprout up, and Roth steps away from her to take in a hull-shaped glen about six-feet in length around them, and Myne standing there smiling. He grins as he takes her by the hand, feeling like he was back home in the forest, but now with a lover to share it with; more than that because she shared his love of places like this. He pulls her down with him to the newly-formed bed of grass, and as he hovers over her, he grins when he sees her smile with excitement for what would be in store for them.

Finally capturing the prey each had longed after for some time, neither ranger or druid wished to rush through their first night shared together. Roth never had a long list of lovers like his brethren, but he was thankful for his few past encounters that he might ease Myne through her first time. They took their time with one another in their makeshift forest, with Roth's bow shining like moonlight above them where it had been elevated nearly to the ceiling by a particularly large branch that protruded from a crate.

Up in the galley, Poppet has enough sense to call off the search party that begins to form when they do not come back a couple of hours after they had left. She smiles to herself, knowing that Roth had finally caught Myne: she had given him his hunt, and from the wave of magic that Poppet senses being released below her, Myne is probably giving him more than that.

 **11th-12th of Gozran:** **The Aftermath of Romance**

 _ **The Bear and the Hunter**_

The clatter of something wooden hitting the floor pulls Roth out of his sleep. He sits up quickly, instinctively reaching for his sword that should have been hanging from his belt on the edge of his bunk. As his addled mind takes in the soft orange glow of a couple oil lamps overhead, he can dimly see that he is not in his bunk.

The light reveals a narrow aisle of cargo, and he sees his bow laying a short distance from his feet, _Did it fall?_

He inhales deeply, putting his hands up to his face as the memory of the night comes back to him, _My bow hanging from a tree branch...Oh Gods! Was it not a dream?! The rabbit...the hunt...the glen...the magic must have worn off!_

He takes stock of himself, registering some aches that were probably the result of sleeping on the hard planks that were hiding under a veneer of magic grass, and realizes he isn't wearing any clothing. As he breathes slowly, hoping everything about the night is true, he turns over to see the bare form of Myne laying next to him, still sleeping peacefully. He watches her carefully as she takes a deep breath and rolls over onto her side; he smiles as he admires the line of her back, down to her long legs and feet as they curl up.

From behind him, towards the opening to the aisle, he hears the snort of a wild animal that makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He carefully turns, and sees a hulking figure blocking the opening with eyes glimmering like deep coal pockets.

It gives another snort, bringing itself to its feet, and Roth recognizes the form of Rauros, _The bear must have come down to the cargo hold in the night to protect the entrance._

Knowing that it was Rauros did not make the bear any less intimidating, and Roth notices with some measure of primal fear the way the bear was approaching him: swaying his head, and baring his teeth with his hackles raised. Rauros was approaching him like a rival in rut; the bear wanted 'words.' Roth swallows his fear and has enough time to get to his knees as the bear comes close.

He sees Rauros's nose wrinkling as he catches a scent, thinking, _Gods, Rauros can smell Myne on me._

Roth debates waking Myne up, but decides against it, _This is between me and Rauros, and I need to display dominance right now or else I am not likely to make it much further._

He focuses on the bear's eyes, staring him down, letting out a deep growl, and showing his teeth. The bear gives a growl in response, glancing briefly at Myne before turning back to Roth.

In a slow, deep voice Roth says, "I know you can smell her on me...she is safe. We are still your charges, but now, she is _my mate_!"

He gives the last two words particular emphasis as he stares down the bear with every ounce of bravery he could muster, and eventually the bear backs down, lowering his gaze and covering his teeth. Rauros nudges Myne lovingly with his nose, and she gives him an automatic tug at his ears without waking. Seemingly satisfied with his companion's status, Rauros gives one last snort to Roth, and lumbers back to his spot at the end of the aisle to watch over them.

Roth releases a little breath of relief, _Gods, and I thought meeting her family after becoming lovers would be tough...at least they won't rip my throat out._

He lays down beside Myne, running a hand over her stomach, following the valley of smooth skin to her hips as he kisses the back of her neck. He knew he would not be able to go back to sleep after getting Rauros to back down, and he felt strangely wild after the display of dominance. Myne stirs at his touch, and carefully reaches out to take his hand. She suddenly stops, as if realizing something, and he feels her take deliberate breaths to calm herself.

She seems unwilling to turn over to see him, instead taking a firm grip on his hand at her hip and whispers, "...Roth?!"

 _She must be experiencing the same moment of revelation that our night was not a dream._

He kisses the back of her neck and reassures her in Elvish, "It's not a dream, I'm here."

She lets out a deep breath, and turns over with relief to embrace him, giving him a long kiss as she runs her fingers through his hair. Roth's hand that was on her hip goes to her back to pull her in tight to him, and he gives himself the luxury of a long deliberate embrace, feeling her body against every part of his.

He gives her another soft kiss and whispers, "We should probably dress and get to the galley for some breakfast. It must be dawn outside."

Myne nods at him but does not move, whispering hesitantly, "Roth, before we leave this place, I...I just need to know what I am…"

She leaves the question hanging, unable to bring herself to ask if this was just a one-night stand, that she was nothing more than a warm body for him for a night.

He holds her tight again, gripping her hips, and feeling rather possessive of her as he recalls what he said to Rauros, "You are my mate now, Myne."

 _ **Blushing Through Breakfast**_

They dress quickly, and make their way up to the galley, seeing the light of early morning through the portholes. Mercifully, no one else is awake yet, and they take their porridge and retreat to a secluded booth to eat quietly together. As the morning sun brightens, the group and crew begin to file in for their own breakfasts. They catch sight of the druid and the ranger at the booth, and can do little to hide their smirks, while some, such as Lo, choose to outright cheer them on with applause and hoots. Myne and Roth sink into their booth, blushing furiously at the attention they were receiving from their night together.

Poppet has the decency to approach them with an explanation, "Sorry...but when it was apparent that you weren't coming back to the galley last night...it was also apparent what you two were doing."

The two blush a deeper shade of crimson as she twirls around with a giggle to get back in line for her own breakfast.

Every night afterwards Roth invites Myne to sleep in his bunk, and they lay quietly and tightly together on the small mattress, simply enjoying having the other to hold all night. Other than this outward change in their level of companionship, they try to keep their signs of affection as discreet as they can; only a careful eye might catch Roth placing a hand in Myne's lap as they sit next to each other in the galley, or a vigilant ear might hear their whispers in Elvish as they retreat to a private place for a moment alone together. They tended to be more open about their romance around Poppet and Alex, who had to share their quarters with the two. Poppet and Alex could tell that they seemed unable to express where their romance would go in the future, but they were also unwilling to end it. The group can only shake their heads at the ranger and the druid, wondering how it took them so long to find each other. The group is also certain that their affection would only heighten their fierceness in the coming battles if the other was threatened; it would be a fearsome sight to witness.


	43. Voyage to Isidore: 13th-14th of Gozran

**13th-14th of Gozran: The Holy Land**

 _ **The Holy Land in Sight**_

Early in the morning on the 22nd day of sea travel, Delqwyn shouts down from the crow's nest that she spies land off the starboard side of the ship. The northwestern shore of the island nation of Luna finally comes into view, and the group breathes a sigh of relief, knowing that they would be making their port in a couple of days. Offshore to the south, the white marble walls of the city of Shangri seemingly glow in the afternoon sun.

The group gathers on the starboard side of the ship to admire the beautiful city, and Alex says out loud to them, "That city holds the grandest temples to the gods. You won't find any evil gods worshipped in there, and there is a very strict policy on who is even allowed into that mecca. The gates are guarded by the Holy Lunar Knights, and the pillars at the gates are engraved with the symbols of all the gods worshipped within."

Kamara is standing nearby, and adds, "The city itself is landlocked. We will dock at the port city of Lucida, and from there you would need to travel by road to reach Shangri if that be your destination. Two more days of sailing, and we will reach the port."

 _ **The Message in the Night**_

He thought he had grown accustomed to the gentle roll of the hull during their weeks at sea, but Alex finds that sleep is an ever-elusive beast on the ship. He knew they were close to Lucida, and he grew more anxious as he thought out what would happen when they made port. He runs his hand through his hair, and sighs before leaning up on an elbow to scan the room.

The first thing he notices is the tattooed arm dangling down the side of the bunk above him, _Honestly, I'm surprised Poppet hasn't rolled off the damned thing. She's always hovering over the edge of her bunk while tiny, little Ellete takes the lion's share of her bed._

Looking towards the other side of the room, Alex is surprised to find Rauros's massive form of fur and claws occupying the lower bunk, _Kamara isn't going to be happy about that. But if Rauros is there, that means Myne is…_

He looks to the bunk above Rauros and spots a flash of blondish-red hair from Roth's bunk.

Irritation flashes briefly across his face, _More distractions._

He sighs and wills his annoyance away, rolling his eyes at the two, _How they find it comfortable to share these tiny beds, I will never know._

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Alex extracts himself from his bunk, weaving carefully around Poppet's arm to avoid waking the witch. He grabs his _Acts of Iomedae_ before slipping out of the room and up the stairs at the end of their hallway. The deck is gloriously free of the normal activity of the day, manned only by a skeleton crew at these hours, and Alex finds a quiet nook of the deck to begin his prayers to his goddess. At least he would do something useful if he couldn't find sleep tonight. He is thankful that the crew does not seem interested in bothering his religious observances, and he quickly loses track of time; the sounds of the waves, winds, and birds fading away under his focus.

The sound of flapping wings startles him out of his prayers, and Alex looks up just in time to see a raven swoop down and land on the deck in front of him. He blinks at the bird as it waddles over to him, claws scratching the surface of the wooden deck, before it stops directly in front of him. Forcing himself to ignore the weirdness of the situation, he gives the bird a closer look and notices a piece of parchment rolled and tied to the raven's leg. He reaches out a hand and hesitates, regarding the bird a moment before untying the letter. The raven deftly leaps to the railing and then pushes off into flight, disappearing behind the walls of the captain's quarters. Alex unfurls the paper and reads:

 _Sir Shieldheart,_

 _Your message was intercepted while over the desert sands of Kish. I have instructed all such birds to be intercepted, as the enemy has been notorious for using them in such a manner. Haste was made and your message has been delivered to me on the front lines._

 _It is unfortunate that one of your squad members has acted in such a rash manner, and I agree with you that the mission may be in jeopardy. However, our options at this point are limited. You have my instructions to continue as planned. I will lay out the details below. Note: This information is to be kept in the utmost secrecy. I will trust your judgement in relaying the plan to the captain of your vessel and to your crew._

 _We are currently within the border of Onogoro planning our next move. The dwarven rebellion has fallen through. Aid from them will not come. However, we have been blessed. The new barbarian king Dangjock has begun raiding the northern borders of both occupied Onogoro and Orestes. Isidore has had to respond by dividing its forces._

 _This will give us a chance to move east swiftly and ally with the elves in Celahir Lossehelim. Once there, we will begin the voyage across the Niaci Sea, and begin our assault on the Isidorian mainland. We have already begun sending ships to the pickup location in Mar._

 _At this time your mission is to land at the marked location on the western shore of Isidore. Refer to the included map. With your small band, traverse through the Ilgi Marsh and then into Liels Forest. This will give you cover as you proceed towards Cela, a small town near the Isidorian capital of Enlil. In Cela you will meet up with an ally going by the name Reena Dearhmias. They will be staying at the River's Shore Tavern._

 _She will aid you in infiltrating the city under the cover of dark. At that time, our forces should be distracting the eye of the enemy enough so that your infiltration goes unnoticed. Your target is the blonde man named Kyus, who has taken control of all Isidorian Armies._

 _I will be sending out aid for your mission from Betty's Bay to be picked up in Lucida once you arrive. I wish you good luck soldier, may the gods watch over you._

 _Signed,_

 _Bolshyo Medvistan_

He rubs a hand over his face and massages the heel of his hand into his eye socket, trying to alleviate the tension he could feel building.

 _Kamara will have to be informed at the least_ , he thinks as he heads up to the captain's quarters.

He raises his hand to knock on her cabin door but halts himself, realizing Coronal is probably with his wife at this hour, _Kamara may need to be privy to such information, but Coronal does not…_

Alex reluctantly steps over to the ship's railing, and leans back against it, intending to wait for Kamara to make an appearance.

When Kamara finally does emerge from her cabin, the sun has just begun to rise over the horizon. She raises an eyebrow at the paladin when he pushes off the railing of the ship and marches over to her position.

The expression on her face is less than impressed, but Alex continues undeterred. "Good morning, Kamara," he tells her grimly, "I apologize for the request, but I must speak with you. Now if at all possible, and alone."

Annoyance and curiosity flit across her face briefly before she nods curtly at Alex and says, "Very well. This should be interesting at least."

She turns and strolls back to her cabin, leaving Alex to follow in her wake. She thrusts open the door to her cabin and disappears within.

Moments later, Alex hears her say, "Out, I have business!"

When Alex crosses the threshold of the room, he sees Coronal still lounging in the captain's bed. The man rubs a hand over his face, obviously trying to piece together Kamara's order with his sleep-addled mind. When he finally raises his eyes to his wife, he gives her a confused look.

"What time…?" he asks, looking out of the window and squinting into the sunlight breaking across the waters.

"Out," Kamara tells him again, reaching down to grab something off the floor before throwing it at her husband.

As Coronal fumbles with it, Alex realizes they are the man's pants, and Alex stifles a laugh. Coronal manages to slip his pants over his legs before he abruptly dives into the blankets on the bed, curling himself beneath them.

"I'm not leaving!" he shouts, voice muffled by the heavy fabric, and Kamara sighs at him.

Alex doesn't stop the laughter that escapes his lips this time, even when the captain turns a bemused glare at him. He watches the woman unceremoniously knock Coronal, blankets and all, to the floor. Coronal, of course, makes a very dramatic display of untangling himself from his cocoon before standing and wrapping the blanket around his shoulders, glare alternatively slipping between his wife and the paladin laughing at him.

"Fine," he mumbles, shuffling to the door of the cabin.

"Go get something to eat," Kamara calls after him, laughing loudly at his retreat.

Kamara gestures to Alex to sit at the table in her quarters, and plops herself down in a chair.

"Now then," she says to him, raising a questioning eyebrow, "What is so important that I needed to throw out my husband?"

Alex sighs and explains the barest details of the letter, the simple need to change where he and his group would disembark due to some unforeseen circumstances. As he explains the location, he unfolds the map and slides it across the table to Kamara, watching her expression carefully as her eyes skim along the Isidorian coast. Kamara purses her lips and then uses a few tools on the table to plot a course on her own map which sprawls across most of the flat surface between them. Alex is grateful when he sees she makes no visible marking as to where they would be traveling. When Kamara is finished, she folds up Alex's map and hands it back to him. She regards Alex for a moment, before she clicks her tongue and crosses her arms across her chest.

"I'll get ya there," she tells him, nodding to the map, "It's not too far from where we'd originally planned to drop you off."

Alex nods at her, folding the parchment away and storing it on a pouch on his belt.

"Thank you," he tells her solemnly, bowing his head to her and standing, "And I hope this can stay quiet?"

"Don't take me for a fool, Boy!" Kamara laughs at him, shooing him out of her quarters, "And if you find my idiot husband, tell him he can come back to bed."

Looking around the mess hall, Alex had expected to find the blanket monster that is Coronal lurking at some table and glowering into a bowl of 'soup' as he lives out his momentary exile from Kamara's quarters. He is surprised to find the mess hall mostly empty. The cook informs him that Coronal took one look at the food and went to skulk elsewhere. She at least looks as amused at the President's actions as Alex does. Grabbing a bowl of food, Alex heads back to the table where Roth is currently staring at his porridge in disbelief, repeatedly picking up a spoonful of the liquid and then letting it slosh back into the bowl. He motions for Alex to join him when he sees the paladin approaching, and Alex is grateful that Myne is nowhere in sight.

"I'm not entirely sure this qualifies as food," Roth mentions under his breath, eyes scanning the mess hall briefly to make sure no one is in earshot.

"I suppose I shouldn't complain though," he adds with a wry grin, finally taking a bite.

It looks hard to swallow, and Alex mentally prepares himself as he takes a bite himself, _By the gods, what in all creation is this?!_

Mustering together his resolve, Alex forces down the meal, silently suffering with Roth. As they come to the end of their bowls, Alex notices Myne and Poppet making their way into the room, the red-head laughing at some story the witch was telling. Rauros trails after his druid with Ellete sitting cross-legged on the bear's head while rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Alex inclines his head to Roth while nodding to the women, and tells the ranger quietly, "I wish to speak with you. You're well-traveled and I'd appreciate your view on a sensitive matter."

Roth makes no inclination that he had heard the paladin's words, but as the newcomers come to join the table, Roth stands and says, "Forgive us, ladies, but Alex and I were going to find someplace to spar for a bit. I can feel my skills slipping from me the longer we stay on this ship."

Alex glances at the women, seeing Myne's face fall at Roth's declaration. She looks up at Alex before sliding her eyes down to her food in resignation. Alex nearly scoffs before a delicate elbow softly thumps against his ribs, and he looks up to see Poppet's knowing gaze fixed upon him.

Sighing, Alex gets up from the table, "The food is especially terrible this morning, just a warning."

He hears Poppet sigh as he leaves the cabin to await Roth. Farewells are exchanged quietly before Roth appears, annoyance marring his face, and the two make their way into the cargo holds.

When they're sure the area is clear of any signs of life, Roth turns to regard Alex, saying, "What was this information you wished for me to weigh in on?"

Alex begins explaining to Roth, going over the details of the information he had received that morning. He hands the ranger the map, and tells of Kamara's promise to get them to the location on the coast, and their subsequent travels up to Cela. Roth takes in all the words carefully, studying the map and the path they must now travel.

He nods and offers the map back, telling Alex, "I see. I don't know as much as I'd like about Isidore and its lands, but I trust the source of your information. I agree with the path."

Alex lets out a long breath and offers his arm to the elf. Roth grasps Alex by the elbow and they both offer a nod to one another. As Alex releases Roth's arm, he sighs and shifts his gaze to the boxes around them.

"I would hope this information could stay between us and Kamara…" he trails off.

Roth shoots Alex a cold glare before shaking his head and sighing, "I understand. While I agree the rest don't need to be informed quite yet, I can see you worry I will tell Myne."

He pauses, trying to gather his thoughts before speaking again, "She might not have the same worldly knowledge as me, or your military expertise, but you give her too little credit. She lost her dearest cousin, and instead of finding someone to comfort her in her grief, you fell apart. She has tried to do what she thinks is right, but she _is_ young, Alex."

Clearly uncomfortable talking this much, the ranger sighs at Alex, "Regardless, I recognize the trust you have put in me, and I would never betray that."

Alex reaches out a hand and squeezes the elf's shoulder, not quite meeting the elf's gaze, "You...just do not know what pain she causes me. But you have my thanks, Roth. And now," he drops his arm and offers an apologetic grimace, "we should probably go make a spectacle of ourselves on the deck, or one of those women will figure out that we haven't been sparring!"


	44. Voyage to Isidore: 15th of Gozran

**15th of Gozran: The Port City of Lucida**

Right on schedule, the _Duchess of Wati_ navigates its way into the Bay of Lucida and makes port in its city.

They watch the city loom into view, and Tarian smiles and says, "All the shipping and trade business for Luna comes through Lucida. This is the place where the people of Luna escape and indulge themselves."

Before heading below to gather their belongings, they look closer at the city proper, and see that the cobblestone streets are busy with the business of the late afternoon. They also notice that despite the fact that this is the city where the religious can let their hair down, it is still well-kept and clean. The reminders of the ever-present gods are incarnated by clerics coming to and fro in their religious garb. Even in this city, there are also various holy sights worth seeing, and the group heads below deck to gather their things as the ship slowly docks.

 _ **The Celebration of Firstbloom**_

As the ship docks and deckhands begin to throw down ropes, most of the group already have their packs on their backs watching with excitement, ready to disembark. The exception is Myne, who is still in her quarters double-checking her pack and worrying about whether she has forgotten something or not. The task has been made more difficult because Ellete has also taken the opportunity to try to corner the young half-elf alone to find out more about what had really transpired between her and Roth.

She sits on Myne's bunk in her classic position: on her stomach with her feet in the air, holding her head in her hands as she barrages Myne with questions such as, "Is it true what they say about elves and their 'longevity'?" and "So druids can just make magical romance locations at will?"

Myne is unwilling to speak, instead choosing to blush uncontrollably with her lips pressed hard together as she double-checks the contents of her pack. Suddenly, she feels a strange sensation emanating from her ring, and she knows that the power of the ring has been diminished: someone was trying to scry on her. The color drains from her face as she fills with dread, and she stammers as she immediately recasts the scry spell on the ring, and then looks to Ellete who has sat bolt upright on her bed and is watching her intently.

Myne manages to point dumbly at the ring in explanation and says, "She tried to scry on me again!"

As she says this, Poppet rounds the corner to their quarters while saying, "Ellete are you in here? The ship is docking!"

Poppet sees Myne's expression, and was pretty sure she had heard Myne's words correctly as she had approached the door.

She puts a hand on Myne's shoulder and says, "Did the ring work? Did you replenish it?"

Myne nods as she tries to compose herself, and takes a deep breath before saying, "I'm okay, let's just get up to deck. I'm ready to get off this ship."

The crew busies themselves with the job of unloading the ship: the crates and bundles are slowly brought out of the cargo hold and carried down the gangplank to the cobblestone harbor. Myne, Poppet, and Ellete catch up with the group as they begin to make their way down the gangplank as well. They can feel that the city is in a festive mood: the city-goers are all dressed in brightly-colored clothing and costumes; there are stages set up for dancing and other performances, some rather erotic in nature; and many city-goers are also indulging in food and drink.

Coronal has already made his way to a stage, dancing enthusiastically with no shirt and his sunglasses, and as the group continues to ogle the sights, Kamara steps up to tell the group what they need to know before they disappear into the city, "We will be leaving early in the morning, the day after tomorrow. That will give the crew enough time to enjoy the sights and for us to conclude any trade. Be ready to sail then, and enjoy the festival, we have perfect timing."

The group walks further through the streets, and they see merchants in makeshift stalls selling festive masks, headdresses, baskets full of flowers, and pigments for body art. Tarian happily buys a costume mask adorned with peacock feathers while Lo bemoans the boring medium-brown color of his eyebrows when he catches his reflection in the mirror at the mask stall. There are a variety of smells that invade their senses: perfumes, flowers and succulent foods, and it adds to the exciting sensation that the group begins to get caught up in. Tarian knows that the festival is for the holiday of Firstbloom: a holiday that celebrates the first planting of the year, a day for Gozreh, and for the farming community it signals their true start of the year. Celebrations are held to honor the cycle of nature, and these celebrations usually last well into the night. They look to each other, knowing that before the night gets too crazy their best move would be to find lodging for the night.

Lo walks up to a guard walking the streets with a pike and says, "Hey, if we wanted to find a really nice hotel, could you point us in the right direction?"

The guard nods and says, "Ah, you must be visitors to the city. The nice places to go would be The Grand Lucida Inn and Miracles. They are in the same area, in the center of the city."

arian steps closer to the guard and says, "If we were looking for some kind of pleasure palace, would there be a place like that close to those establishments if we might wish to indulge?"

The guard gives him a look and says, "Gods no. There are some places that are closer to the harbor to… shall we say… satisfy the needs of the sailors, I think there is one called the Jolly Good Time..."

Tarian shudders at the thought of some seedy brothel, and thanks the guard for the information. He almost expects a biting remark from the paladin, but realizes that Alex is not among the group.

Poppet sighs and says, "He must have gone back to the ship's quarters instead of coming with us. I can't say I am surprised."

 _ **The Grand Lucida**_

The group makes their way to the center of the city, enjoying the celebratory atmosphere as they stroll along. In the government district, they find the Grand Lucida in all its splendor taking up a corner of a block. They make their way to the tavern entrance and step inside. They are immediately taken aback by the crowd that has completely filled the tavern with people in a festive mood. The bar is full of noise: people laughing, telling jokes, and drinking heavily. At the bar, the group sees two female dwarves with a tankard each and several pitchers in front of them; a female gnome with blue hair totally schlockered and laughing her ass off at a nearby belching contest between two humans, and a figure sitting alone in a grey cloak and hood.

Roth looks over to Mastodon and says, "I wonder if you could outdrink a dwarf…"

Mastodon grins from under his helmet and says, "There is only one way to find out…I've tried once, but I'm not sure who won..."

Lo gives a large smile at the opportunities that were presented in this atmosphere, and decides to set up in the corner to play his lute, and Ellete enthusiastically joins in with her flute. The dwarven women at the bar give Lo's performance a hearty cheer, and the rest of the bar is also diverted by the entertainment. Roth and Tarian agree that they need to find out if any rooms are available, especially given the celebratory atmosphere and the number of patrons in the tavern.

They approach a barmaid as she runs past with a tray full of drinks, and Tarian says, "Miss, do you have any rooms for the night?"

She gives a huff and says, "I'm sorry sirs, but we are completely booked for the evening. You'll have to look elsewhere."

Roth gives Tarian a look of dismay and says, "Should we try the Miracle? We need a place to sleep for the night…"

Tarian grins and says, "Let's not give up quite so quickly. Let me try to sweet-talk my way into a room, or maybe we can swap for a room."

Roth gives the rogue a grin, and looks back at the rest of the group that is still lingering by the entrance.

He begins to make his way back to the group but gives a glance over his shoulder at Tarian and says, "We'll get a table to watch the action. Have at it!"

Roth approaches the group, who are giving him varying degrees of questioning expressions. Roth grins and says, "Grab a table guys, we're about to be in for a show."

When the group still returns confused looks, Roth elaborates with a gesture in Tarian's direction and says, "There are no rooms for rent tonight, but Tarian thinks he can charm his way into someone else's room, for himself or perhaps for all of us, and I want to see this in action. If it is unsuccessful we can try the Miracle."

Mastodon lets out what almost sounds like a giggle, and pushes through the crowd to find a mostly empty table. He does nothing more than give off a threatening air as he looms over the tiny male gnome occupying the table. When the gnome sees the huge barbarian overshadowing the table, he gives an ingratiating smile, grabs his beer, and squeezes in at the bar. Mastodon takes a prime viewing seat, and motions to the group to join him. They all take up a seat and order a round of drinks to enjoy the entertainment.

Tarian takes a deep breath and begins to scope out the scene, looking for someone that he could approach that clearly has a room at the inn, as opposed to those that might be there just for the drinks. More specifically, he wanted someone cute. He scans the bar, seeing the couple of female dwarves and the female gnome, and the cloaked male figure squashed next to the humans and their belching contest. He sighs inwardly at the complete lack of hotties at the bar, and turns to scan the rest of the tables in the establishment with equal dissatisfaction. He decides his best option is to set up next to the staircase where those that would have rooms would descend to the tavern area. He buys a glass of deep red wine from the bar, and takes up his prime position. He is not disappointed when he sees a quite attractive venerable elf take the staircase down to the tavern. She is wearing a tall pointy hat, and gives off the vibe of being magical. Tarian puts on his best smile, psyching himself up as he approaches the witch that has taken up a seat at a table with a couple of other female elves. With a smile, she begins to chat with the ladies at her table, clearly enjoying herself and their company, and she looks up with a questioning look as Tarian approaches.

He puts a purr in his voice and says, "Good evening miss. Are you here for the festivities or do you come here often?"

She holds up her glass of water in response and says, "I'm sorry, do I know you sir?"

He catches the eyes of his comrades at a nearby table, who give him encouraging and suggestive gestures.

It bolsters his confidence and he pushes further with the flirt tactic by swirling his glass of wine and confidently saying, "I'm just passing through the area, looking for someone to share a drink with..."

At that moment, the raven that was his constant but sometimes forgotten shadow caws irritatingly from a rafter as it watches him, and the witch looks up at it with curiosity, saying, "Is that your familiar?"

Tarian's voice is injected with a little bit of irritation as he says, "It's _someone's_ familiar…. I can't seem to get rid of him."

The witch gives a knowing smile and says, "Ah, you must have comrades skilled in the magical arts then?"

Tarian is happy to see that he might still be able to save the conversation with her interest in magic and says, "Actually, yes. They are gathered at the table over there," and points at his motley crew that seem to be on their second or third round,"I myself am quite fascinated with magic, and have a lot of knowledge about the art, but I am not a practitioner. If I may be so bold, what kind of practitioner are you, my lady?"

She smiles at the opportunity to talk about her profession and says, "My specialty is witchcraft, sir."

Tarian points out Poppet at the table and says, "Ah, one of my companions is a witch. You can just see her familiar there with the flute...next to the bard...that is half-naked and playing the lute."

The witch immediately cranes her head to get a better look at Poppet, and she likes what she sees, "Hmmm, could you introduce her to me?"

Internally, Tarian sighs and says, _Smooth move_.

Outwardly he says, "She is the one with the blonde curls, you can just look for her little faerie to find her as well."

The witch stands up with her glass of water, and rushes past Tarian to make her way to Poppet.

Tarian gives a nod to the remaining ladies at the table and says, "If you would excuse me." He steps away, and quietly says to himself, "Well that did not go as planned."

Poppet watches as the witch approaches her, and assumes correctly that Tarian's attempt at getting her room or at least a shared spot on her bed has failed.

The witch stands over Poppet and says, "Hello dear, I heard you were a fellow practitioner of witchcraft, and I just had to come over and talk to you. That nice young elf over there told me a little bit about you, and your quite unique familiar! I don't believe I have ever met a witch with an azata companion! But I am getting ahead of myself...my name is Aeryn Rhius, and I was wondering if you would like to step to a more secluded part of the bar to talk?"

Poppet gets excited about the prospect of talking to another witch, especially if they had different specialties, local knowledge, or potion recipes to swap, and stands while saying, "That sounds wonderful. Let's grab a table and talk."

She looks at Roth, Myne, and Mastodon (the last remaining members at their table) and says, "Guys, you don't mind, do you?"

The group waves her off with a smile, happy to see the witch have someone to talk to about her magic, and continues to enjoy their drinks. When Poppet walks away with her new companion, Tarian slowly makes his way to the table looking dejected.

Roth smiles at Myne and Mastodon and says, "Well I am not an expert in the realm of flirtation, but I don't think that went well for Tarian."

"Poppet on the other hand..." Mastodon begins, nodding over to the pair of witches talking animatedly, before turning a grin at Tarian.

Tarian sits down in Poppet's vacant seat amidst the laughter from the table, takes a swig of his wine, and says, "Thanks, guys."

Mastodon begins to feel the drunken bravery that comes with many pints under your belt, encouraging friends, and of course Lo's outstanding lute performance, complete with pyrotechnics.

He stands and says to the table, "Well we still need a place to lay our heads tonight. Maybe I can win us a room with a drinking contest...or perhaps just muscle, we'll see what works best."

He strides up to the bar, and picks out the grey-cloaked young man as his first target.

He squeezes his huge form next to the scrawny young man, and eyes him while saying, "What are you drinking there?"

The young man stares up at Mastodon with a little bit of fear in his eyes and says, "Um, common local ale…"

Mastodon nods and says, "Ah, the harvest ale?"

The man shakes his head and says, "Nah, the pale ale, it was cheapest."

Mastodon continues to try to drum up conversation and find out if the kid had a room and says, "You look like you're stuck here next to these idiots, why bother?"

The man smiles and says, "I'm stubborn. My name is Cole, I'm a traveler, I've been around."

Mastodon shakes the man's proffered hand and says, "Mastodon. Where are you staying? Here?"

Cole gives a grin and says, "At this point wherever I pass out. You're a big fellow by the way...Big boned. You must be scorching under all that armor. Um, why are you lurking over me, do you want my seat?"

Mastodon draws himself up to his most intimidating stance and says, "I want your room."

The man gives a nervous grin and says, "Tell you what, 20 gold and it's yours."

Mastodon attempts a lie and says, "How about we swap for my room at the Miracle?"

Cole doesn't buy the bluff, narrows his eyes in suspicion, and says, "You don't have a room."

Mastodon resumes his looming stance and says, "Let's make this 30 gold, you give me the room key, and we forget this whole thing, okay?"

Mastodon pulls out the appropriate gold and hands it to Cole.

Cole grins and says, "Deal. Here's my room key."

He then places a silver on the bar and says to the bartender, "For the big guy at the bar," and walks away while shaking his head.

Mastodon uses the silver to buy himself another drink, then makes his way up to the rooms to see about the accommodations. The room has two beds, and is nothing luxurious but it has room enough for more companions to spread out on the floor next to the small fireplace. He makes his way back to the table with Roth, Myne, and Tarian, who look at him with bleary-eyed curiosity at his success.

He holds out the room key to them, and says, "Well there's one room. We can all fit, but it's nothing posh."

Roth, Myne, and Tarian seem satisfied with the room, and nod complacently at the barbarian and the spoils of his efforts. Since Lo is in between songs, he also hears of their current room situation, and decides that 'nothing posh' is not good enough for the flamboyant bard.

He loosens the laces on his tunic to expose his chest, starts up another lute riff and shouts to the crowd, "All right! Anyone wanna take me to bed tonight!? I am willing and ready!"

There is a general squeal of excitement from the tavern as many of the drunken patrons take stock of whether they thought they could handle the bard, and the two female dwarves from the bar begin to make their way towards him. They do not make it far, since they are cut off by the female gnome that was also at the bar.

She shoves them out of the way while saying, "Out of my way, ladies! This one is _mine_!"

She steps up to Lo with full confidence, her wild, light blue hair flying everywhere around her head, creating a halo around her and grabs Lo by his shirt strings saying, "You're in for a treat tonight, bard. Let's take this upstairs."

Lo grins at her with excitement, and allows the small figure to lead him out of the tavern while the rest of the bar cheers. At their table, Roth, Myne, Mastodon, and Tarian wave the bard off, wishing him well and ticking off one name that would not be sharing their room.

Mastodon seems to be bolstered by Lo's easy triumph, and decides to try to win yet another room for the group, or perhaps at least some adventurous woman might take him for the night. He was still uncomfortable about his place in society, but in this kind of atmosphere, it seemed that race was less of a determining factor; perhaps he could loosen up and test the waters.

He decides that perhaps his strength in the alcohol consumption category might be the best place to start, and says to the table, "I think I'm going to try to win us another room. Maybe a drinking contest…"

Myne claps excitedly for the barbarian and says, "I'll buy your first drink! You can do it!"

She slides a silver over to him for the drink, and excitedly gives him a little pat on the back as he strides toward the bar. He targets the two dwarven women that were beat out by the gnome for Lo; he knew they could hold their alcohol.

He rests his elbows on the bar next to the dwarves and gives them what he hopes is a roguish grin and says, "So ladies, do you have a room here at the inn?"

The dwarves give him a once-over, pleased with what they see, and one of them says, "Why, big fella? And yes, we do have a room, but whether you have anything to do with it is yet to be seen. Why don't you sit down and join us for a few rounds?"

Mastodon takes a seat next to the dwarves and says, "So, I see you ladies like to drink. How about you let me buy the next round, and see where the night takes us?"

He orders a pitcher of the strongest dwarven ale on the menu, and the three of them power through the pitcher, with Mastodon finishing his drinks faster than the two dwarves.

They seem impressed with his ability to hold the drinks so well, and have a short-whispered conversation with each other before turning to the barbarian with matching grins and saying, "Why don't ye join us in our room for tonight, big fella? We know you're here with friends, but you won't miss them for one night, will ye?"

Whether or not it was the dwarven ale talking, Mastodon has no internal argument when he replies, "I'm sure I will survive the night without them, although I am not sure I will survive with you two… we shall have to see if I am made of tough enough stuff. But I am ready and willing, just give me a moment, ladies."

He strides back to the table with Myne, Roth, and Tarian, who seem on the edge of consciousness, and tosses Myne the key he received from Cole earlier and says, "It's all yours. It seems I have a different bed tonight."

They all cheer him on as he walks back to the dwarves, and then make their way up to the rooms. At the table with Myne, Roth, and Tarian, they tick off yet another name that would not be sharing their room. The trio look blearily at each other, and as one they slowly stand up, trying to keep their balance. They stumble over to the other end of the tavern and collect Poppet, who is still deep in conversation with the witch, and then all carefully climb the steps to find their room. It takes Myne a couple of tries before she is able to get the key in the lock, and when the door finally gives to her effort, they all pile into the room. Roth and Myne voluntarily curl up on the floor together next to the fireplace, giving Tarian and Poppet the two beds. They find sleep relatively easily, with the warm fuzzies of drinks and a comfortable room aiding their rest. The night goes by uneventfully for those in the room, but for those in others' rooms, the night is a bit less tame.


	45. Voyage to Isidore: 16th of Gozran

**16th of Gozran: A 'Day Off' in Lucida**

 _ **Poppet: A Practitioner's Trade**_

As the soft yellow light of morning creeps in between the curtains of the room procured by Mastodon, Poppet dresses quickly and with purpose, trying to not wake her companions that were still sleeping despite the invasion of light from outside. From the floor near the fireplace, Poppet sees Myne stir under the blankets at the slight noises and the light.

She slides out from between Roth's arms to sit up on her elbows, looks at the witch with sleepy eyes, and whispers, "Poppet, you going out? You're already dressed."

Poppet smiles and nods at the half-elf, whispering back, "Yes. You know the witch we met yesterday? We are going out together today. We have a free day to do as we please, and I intend to make the most of it by seeking out others in the practice. Perhaps we can meet up later for lunch...find me in the market district."

Poppet strides noiselessly to the window, pulling the curtain closed over the crack of light that was streaming into the room, and whispers to Myne with a mischievous smile, "Take care, and for Elysium's sake sleep in with your lover! You've been crammed on that little bunk on the ship for the past few days!"

Myne grins at Poppet's command, and snuggles back under the blankets next to Roth as Poppet grabs her coin purse and satchel from the bedside dresser. She tiptoes to the door with Ellete fluttering to her shoulder as she steps out into the hallway. Down in the tavern, Poppet orders a breakfast and finds Aeryn already seated at a table quietly sipping tea and waiting for her own breakfast. There is a teapot on the table and an extra tea cup at the adjacent seat.

Aeryn smiles as she sees Poppet approach and says, "Good morning darling. I hope you are ready for a bit of walking today! I have ordered tea for two already, so have a seat!"

Poppet returns the smile and takes a seat next to the other witch and says, "Good morning Lady Rhius. I'm not from the area, so I am not sure what we can accomplish, but it looks like a very opportune day to meet up with others in our craft, considering all the celebrations going on."

Aeryn nods in affirmation, saying, "We are going to see another witch today, and he usually has many aspects to interest a practicing witch."

After their breakfast, Poppet and Aeryn make their way outside, with Aeryn taking the lead. They walk through the cobblestone streets, making some small talk and discussing certain magical spells that the other uses to unique advantages, and ending their walk in a section of the market district. Aeryn approaches a stall where a middle-aged dark-skinned human sits on a blanket under an awning. His hair is long and unkempt, and his robes are a deep blue, like the night sky. His eyes are a pale white, and Poppet knows that the man is blind. On his shoulder rests a pure white albino python, and spread out on the blanket in front of him are many unique and rather creepy-looking trinkets, vials, and scrolls. At their approach, he seems to sit up at attention as if he senses their presence.

He looks right at them with unblinking eyes and says, "Ah, Aeryn, you bring someone unfamiliar to Jeremiah, but she is one of us, is she not?"

Aeryn smiles and says, "Jeremiah, this is Poppet, and her familiar Ellete. I met them last night at the Grand Lucida."

He turns to Poppet as if he can see where she is and says, "It is good to have met you. Please sit and we can talk."

Poppet sits on the blanket, arranging her skirts around her as she says, "Well met, Jeremiah."

He smiles and says, "Now then, is there anything that I can do for you this day?"

Poppet grins and says, "Being a seller of magical items, I was hoping you might be interested in buying some of the potions that I have prepared while at sea. I am also looking to buy scrolls as well."

Jeremiah gives a nod and says, "That would be excellent, dear Poppet. What potions do you have, and what do you see of my wares that you like?"

Poppet attempts to barter for a good sale and purchase, but all she can muster under the sightless gaze of Jeremiah is a stutter.

Ellete flutters off her master's shoulder and says to Jeremiah, "Don't listen to her. What we want to do is sell these cure potions at the best price you can give us. In turn, we plan to use that gold to purchase your wares."

Jeremiah offers Poppet and Ellete 2550 gold for the lot of potions, and in return Poppet purchases glitterdust, air geyser, and black tentacle ingredients, as well as restocking her more general stock of potion-making supplies. After making her purchases, she makes herself comfortable on the blanket to talk with Jeremiah and Aeryn about their craft, sharing their experiences. Both Jeremiah and Aeryn are interested to hear Ellete speak, since she was a familiar that had her own voice to share; making her fascinating because of her intimate connection to the goddess Milani.

 _ **Mastodon: An Armful**_

Mastodon slowly opens his eyes, and takes a mental checklist of his previous night and his current situation. He feels somewhat limited in his ability to move, and as he looks around, he realizes that it is because he has a female dwarf under each arm, with both of them resting their heads on his enormous bare chest. Their hair is tousled and frizzed, and he grins with pleasure as he recalls the highlights of his rough-and-tumble women. It took two of them, but they managed to make it through the night with him. He carefully tries to move his arms out from under the dwarves, but as he does so they begin to wake up. They each give him a smile, and wish him a good morning.

He grins and says, "Oh good. Even in the light of morning I have not worn out my welcome."

The dwarves giggle at him, and one says, "Not yet, big guy. We hope you're ready for round three!"

Mastodon's eyes widen as the girls jump him for another foray, and he grins as his muscles strain under their efforts.

 _ **Tarian: Early Riser**_

The noise from the door being carefully closed behind Poppet as she leaves for the day wakes the rogue from sleep. He sits up and draws his dagger, expecting that someone has entered their room, rather than exited. He relaxes when he sees everything is as it should be, with the sound of Ellete's voice outside the door in enthusiastic discussion with Poppet, talking about what to eat for breakfast.

Tarian thinks to himself, _So Poppet has plans for the day, shit. I was hoping she could assess that ring I pulled from Kamara's quarters…_

He carefully sheathes his dagger, and decides that since he is up he might as well make a day of it. He dresses in silence, aware that Roth and Myne are still asleep on the floor, with Rauros snoring in a corner.

He grins at the sleeping couple and thinks, _Well Roth, for once I am the early riser. Enjoy her; if she's anything like her mother you won't be disappointed. Calistria help me if you ever hurt her, though._

With his oath made, he grabs his pack and money pouch, and quietly makes his way down to the tavern for breakfast. He sees Poppet sitting with the witch from last night, and decides to take up a seat where he is blocked from their view. He orders his own breakfast and eats with enjoyment, contemplating the best way to spend this day in port. He asks the barmaid where he might go for magical appraisals, and she suggests the merchant district, which buys and sells both magical and non-magical goods.

Without realizing it, he takes a similar path as Poppet and Aeryn, making his way to the market district to appraise the ring and buy his own supplies. At a stall selling other magical rings and amulets, a wizard determines that his ring is a +1 AC ring; it grants magical protection, making him harder to hit. He then makes his way to another part of the merchant district to purchase supplies to make traps, as well as other necessities for the trip. He takes his time, browsing the shops throughout the morning, happy with the ring's appraisal and the potential for the traps he could make on the ship.

 _ **Roth, Myne, and Mastodon: Sara's Salvation**_

Myne sighs in contentment as she feels Roth stir and then tighten his arms around her.

She whispers, "Roth, you awake?"

Roth gives a little groan into her back and whispers, "Yes, but I am only partially happy about it."

She lets out a giggle, and Roth whispers, "Shh, I don't want to wake up Poppet and Tarian."

Myne rolls over to look at the ranger, and smooths his blonde hair back from his face as she whispers, "Poppet and Tarian are not here, they have left for the day already. I have been laying here awake since Poppet woke up, and Tarian left not long after she did."

Roth gives her a questioning look and says, "What time is it? Did I really sleep that late?"

Myne smiles and says, "The sun is up, I know that. I believe I heard a nearby temple bell chime the 8th hour not too long ago. Now why are you only partially happy about being awake?"

Roth lets out a grunt as he sits up carefully, holds his head in his hands and says, "The bad part is this punishment for the drinks I consumed last night…"

He sighs and takes her chin in his hand and says, "The good part is waking up next to you."

Myne kisses his hand and says, "Before Poppet left, she commanded us to sleep in…"

Roth raises his eyebrows and says with mock seriousness, "Well now, I would not want to upset the witch!"

Myne giggles as he leans in to kiss her, and pulls the blankets back over them.

As the temple bell chimes the 9th hour, Roth and Myne make their way down to the tavern for breakfast. They take a seat at a table, asking the barmaid for a pot of coffee to split and ordering breakfast. They nurse their coffee mugs and wait for their meals, looking up from their cups when they see movement from the hallway that leads to the rooms. Mastodon slowly makes his way down the stairs with the aid of the bannister; he seems to be sore, and he gives a weak smile when he sees Myne and Roth. He shuffles over to them, and shakily takes a seat at their table. Roth and Myne try their best to hold back laughter as they take in the sight of their huge friend in obvious pain from his night with the dwarves.

Myne stifles her giggle and says, "You need some coffee Mastodon? I'll get a cup for you."

She gets up from the table and procures a mug for the half-orc, setting it down in front of him and pouring out a cup of the strong black liquid with care.

Roth speaks up from his mug, "What should we do today? I am partial to finding a garden to enjoy…"

Myne sets down the coffee pot and says, "As enjoyable as that sounds, there is something I wish to accomplish. I want to seek out a temple to a good god; we are in the religious capital of Nordost… the most powerful of their sects should be here. My purpose is to speak with a cleric, and see if there is anything that can be done for Sara. Good must oppose the evil, there must be a way to cast out the demon that possesses her, and still save her life."

Mastodon grunts and then says, "I have nowhere to be today, so if you don't mind I will just come along with you two."

As he finishes this statement the barmaid comes to their table with their plates of breakfast, and they happily dig in.

Myne smiles at the half-orc and says, "Feel free to come with us, maybe the information will be useful for all of us… I just don't know what to expect."

After breakfast, they make their way out to the street, and locate a passing guard to ask for directions. Myne explains that they are looking for a representative of a good god, and the guard responds that they could take their pick of temples for Abadar, Iomedae, or Sarenrae.

When Myne gives her a look that suggests she is not sure who would be best, the guard sighs and says, "Look, one of the highest-ranking religious figures in the city is Judge Patrius. He is well-known and respected, and before becoming a judge for the city, he was a priest of Abadar."

Myne seems to think this might be the person to speak to and says, "Do you think he would grant us an audience?"

The guard shrugs her shoulders and says, "You can always try. Judge Patrius is quite busy, but you never know. The court building is in the government district, in a white marble church, you can't miss it."

Myne thanks her for the information, and the trio make their way in the direction the guard pointed out. They find the large, gothic cathedral in pure white marble, and with the sun shining off it the guard was right, you really could not miss it. As they step inside, they see other priests in robes of silver, and on the back of their robes was an image of a golden key.

Myne stops one of the passing priests and says, "Excuse me, could you direct me to Judge Patrius?"

The priest gives her a condescending look and says, "I am very sorry, but Judge Patrius is quite busy. Is he expecting you?"

Roth gives Myne's shoulder a squeeze and says, "Tell him your need."

Myne gathers her nerves, and while twiddling her fingers she says, "I need to speak with him about an exorcism. My cousin is possessed by a demon or some other evil, and I was hoping to speak with a powerful cleric to see what can be done."

The priest raises his eyebrows at the druid's need and says, "That is quite serious. Please follow me, perhaps the judge can make some time to hear your request."

They follow the priest up a flight of stairs to a large chamber. The priest shows them inside, and they see a young man behind a desk. To their eyes, he is a human with dirty blonde hair, with some stubble on his face. He looks only a few years older than Alex. He is wearing robes of white with embroidery on the sleeves. He stands at their entrance and walks around his desk with a questioning look at the priest, who briefly explains the trio's presence.

He nods an understanding, and then says to the priest, "You can go, thank you."

When the door closes behind them, the judge looks at them with a slightly furrowed brow and says, "You have quite the situation. To extricate a demon and save the vessel is quite the undertaking. There is a good-aligned spell that can be cast by high-ranking clerics and paladins, they simply call it Dispel Evil. You must have direct contact with the possessed individual, and maintain that contact for a period of time in order to send the creature back."

Myne carefully asks, "So the caster must be present with the possessed person… there would be no way to place the spell in a potion, or something else that would be portable?"

The judge shakes his head and says, "The caster must make physical contact, gain protection from the evil creature, and then defeat the will of the creature in question. If it is a strong force of evil, the caster will be in a very dangerous position if they cannot overcome the evil. They must be strong of will to force the being out. But yes, it is a battle of wills between the caster and the evil force."

Myne hangs her head and says, "Okay. It sounds impossible…"

Roth turns to the judge and solemnly asks, "Realistically, is the soul likely to be intact, and the body sustainable if the exorcism is successful?"

The judge sighs and says, "This is something that I have never had the chance to experience. I've never performed an exorcism, so I cannot say the outcome, especially given so many variables."

The trio thank the judge for taking the time to speak with them, and slowly make their way out of the cathedral with heavy hearts.

On the steps of the cathedral, Myne takes a deep breath and says, "Well, let's head to the market district. We can buy any supplies, and meet up with Poppet for lunch."

 _ **Lo: A Flash of Feathers**_

Lo yawns and stretches, turning over to see that the other side of the bed is already empty. He looks around the room while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and spots the wild blue hair of his bedmate tinkering with something wooden and mechanical-looking on her dressing table. When she hears Lo's yawn, she turns around while holding the catch on what looks like a miniature trebuchet.

She smiles at Lo and says, "Good morning…. Your eyebrows are a different color than yesterday, I am quite sure."

She intently stares at him and says, "Those are wild! I love it! They are so white they look neon!"

Lo takes a closer look at the trebuchet, and notices that there is some kind of magical field at the top of the machine, as if the projectiles would have to pass through it before continuing their arc. She releases the catch on the trebuchet, and Lo watches as the device launches a small acorn that catches fire as it goes through the magical field. The incendiary acorn makes a perfect trajectory towards the bed, and Lo lets out a little scream and rolls off the bed to avoid the projectile, which lands on the pillow and starts to smolder.

The gnome claps excitedly at the maneuver and shouts, "I knew you had good reflexes! You, sir, were a very good choice for an adventurous night!"

Lo gives a little laugh from his position on the floor, and then makes an attempt to find his pants as nonchalantly as possible. He is intrigued by the gnome's spunk, and last night he certainly was kept on his toes, but he knew that now was a good time to make an exit.

He smiles rakishly at the gnome and says, "Sweetheart, it's been awesome, but it's time for me to be moving on. Keep working on that trebuchet!"

He blows a kiss with one hand as he pulls his pants on with the other, and she gives him an enthusiastic wave and says, "If you ever need another night with Little Miss Blue, you will know where to find me… just look for the awesome projectiles!"

Lo makes his way down to the tavern, and grabs a quick breakfast before making his way outside into the late morning sunshine. He walks down the streets, enjoying the sights, sounds, and smells of the continuing Firstbloom celebration. He knows that the celebration will last for a full week, and it fills him with glee that even the religious know how to party.

Suddenly, he sees a commotion up the street, and people running towards him in an effort to get out of the way of something coming down the street. Lo takes up a position next to a stall to be ready for whatever is coming his way, and it doesn't take long before the wave of people parts around him to reveal the head of a massive bird with a beautiful crown of feathers on top of its head. It has some ribbons and other tack that makes it look like it is supposed to be a part of some parade, but it has gone completely berserk, flapping its wings madly, but not able to take flight due to its massive size. Lo casts Grease on the street in the path of the oncoming mass of feathers, and the sea of people passing over the spot begin to slip and slide all over the street. When the bird hits the grease spot, it too cannot stand on its two feet, and its legs give out from underneath it. It slides to a stop right at the bard's feet, and Lo expertly ties it up with rope from his pack, and drags the bird along, looking for a possible owner.

Soon enough, a man runs up to him shouting, "Confounded animal! I was attempting to get the rest of the feathers on her and she ran off!"

Lo looks at the man with a confused look and says, "What are you doing with this bird?"

The man says, "It is for the parade...clearly."

Lo questions further, 'You raised it for the purpose?"

The man seems to get slightly exasperated by his questioning and says, "I just bought it, clearly I made a mistake in the purchase."

Lo smiles and says, "Is it in good shape? How much do you want for it?"

The man seems interested to get it off his hands but says, "We need it for the parade…"

Lo pushes and says, "How about afterwards?"

The man gives him a sidelong glance and says, "How much you offering?"

Lo eyes the bird and says, "Three gold."

The man gives a humph and says, "I paid ten gold for it!"

Lo tugs on the rope a bit and says, "I also had to catch it for you…"

The man seems to lose his train of thought, and completely forgets the original offer as he says, "Fine, how about I meet you at three gold?"

Lo smiles and says, "Deal!"

The man takes hold of the rope and says, "Stop by after the parade, she'll be yours to have!"

The man walks away with the bird in tow, and Lo giggles to himself about the prospect of having a gigantic flightless bird at his command.

 _ **Alex: Change of Plans**_

Alex's night on the ship had been uneventful, but he liked it that way. It was quiet, and devoid of life except for himself; no one else would want to spend any more time on the ship when a port was calling. He spent his time reading his _Acts of Iomedae_ text, and then turned in early, knowing that the next morning was going to be busy. The missive that he had received just before reaching port had indicated that he needed to meet with an envoy from Ani. Now that morning had arrived, he dresses in discrete armor, forgoing his Songsteel tabard; it was too much to risk if an unfriendly eye were to identify him.

He strolls down the gangplank, and out along the docks, looking out for a ship or some other sign of Anian forces. It does not take him long to spot a large galleon flying the flag of Ani docked in the harbor. At the entrance to the pier two Anian soldiers stand guard, each holding a pike and standing at attention. Alex strolls up to them, gives a salute, and asks if he can speak to the commanding officer on the ship.

The guards give Alex a resolute stare as they say, "Sir, this ship may only be approached by members of the Anian military!"

Alex holds his ground and says, "I was told by General Bolshyo Medvistan that he would be sending my party aid. I assume your vessel has our aid."

The soldiers give each other a glance, and one says, "Please stay here, I will be right back."

Alex crosses his arms to wait as one soldier quick steps down the pier and up the gangplank.

A matter of minutes later, the soldier returns with a higher-ranking officer that salutes Alex as he approaches and says, "Sir Shieldheart I presume. We have been awaiting your arrival. We have the supplies ready for you and your companions. Right this way, sir. I will show you what we have."

 _ **Ambush**_

As the officer turns to head back to the ship, Alex senses that something is off. He looks behind him, and gasps as he sees a gigantic fireball heading towards him. He leaps off the dock just as it hits, exploding on impact into a 40-foot in diameter fireball and setting the dock and the Anian ship ablaze. Under the water, Alex holds his breath, waiting for the fireball to recede far enough for him to surface. As he waits out the fireball, he realizes that the water around him is turning pink, tinted by his own blood; he must have been hit with some shrapnel from the blast.

Tarian strolls the market district, looking out for anything of interest, listening for juicy information as well. From out of nowhere, he takes a crossbow bolt to the thigh. He staggers from the blow, screaming out from the surprise attack, and then looks around for the source of the attack. On top of one of the buildings, he spies a cloaked individual in oddly-familiar grey clothing, and wearing a full grey mask over his face. He grimaces as he pulls the bolt out of his leg, and makes his way to a stall for cover.

In another part of the market district, Myne, Roth and Mastodon find Poppet in the open courtyard where vendors in stalls are doing good business providing lunch to the revelers. As they purchase food and make their way to a table, they see Lo emerge from another direction wearing a big grin.

He waves at the four of them and shouts out, "Guys! I just bought a giant bird! I get to pick it up after the parade!"

The group's expression changes from slight confusion and exasperation to terror and determination: directly behind Lo, there is some kind of disturbance. People in the streets are screaming and ducking behind stalls and buildings in an attempt to get out of the way of something threatening. Lo turns to see what the rest of the group is looking at, and sees a giant dire wolf charging towards them with a small humanoid riding astride the wolf and wielding a lance. The figure is wearing a grey cloak and mask, and seems to have its sights set on the group, since the wolf charges right into the courtyard towards them.

From a side alley, they see another cloaked and masked figure emerge and attempt an ambush attack. His target is Mastodon, but the barbarian is able to dodge or block all but one of the attacker's swings. He is wielding two battle axes, and wearing an ornate-looking mask; the etchings on the grey mask give the appearance of raw, unworked stone. Poppet sees other cloaked figures emerging from the crowd and back alleys to join the fray: one on top of the nearby buildings, another stout individual with a great axe. She casts Breeze-Kissed on herself, and then Heroism on Myne. The dire wolf and its rider do a ride-by attack at Roth, but the lance misses. The person on the roof casts a spell that conceals themselves in an orb of darkness. Back at the docks, Alex surfaces and swims to the side of a pier that is not fully engulfed in flames and pulls himself up. He looks around for survivors, but sees no signs of the soldiers amidst the flames. He sees dock workers rushing towards him to help put the fire out or to protect crates and other merchandise at risk of catching fire. From the Anian ship, he sees soldiers and sailors jumping into the water to escape the flaming ship, and he begins to run towards the ship to help those soldiers to reach the pier. Alex does not detect any evil forces, and he knows that the source of the explosion was somewhere to the south of him. Tarian sneaks out from his cover in the stalls to take a longbow shot at the attacker on the roof. He yells out for guards to come to his aid, and then takes cover behind carts. Roth takes a shot at the attacking lancer as it rides past him, hitting the rider hard in the shoulder while the second and third shots miss. One of the foes attempts to hide, but the group sees where they are going, and their bolts go wide. The stout enemy with a great axe charges at Mastodon, hoping to flank the barbarian, but Mastodon manages to dodge the surprise strike. Mastodon rages at the attacks, and hits the dual-wielding axe fighter, hitting him with the first shot, but he manages to dodge Mastodon's second attack. Lo casts Confusion on the crowd, and the whole crowd begins to babble incoherently. The great axe fighter also feels the effect. Myne decides to try to turn the dire wolf against its rider, and begins to call out to it with Wild Empathy while she sends Rauros out to aid Mastodon by attacking the great-axe fighter.

The dual axe fighter swings fiercely, connecting with Mastodon twice. Alex heads south towards the explosion, and as he runs he is hit in the shoulder with something that stings and burns. It was not an arrow or bolt, and he cringes as he realizes it went through his armor. He is hit again, a shot that grazes his leg. Poppet casts healing hex on Mastodon while Ellete casts Starlight Blast on the dwarf with the great axe, but he dodges the blast. The dire wolf charges back around and the lancer spears Myne. From the orb of darkness, a beam of negative energy blasts Roth, the force of the blow knocking him backward. Alex continues to sprint towards the source of the explosions and projectiles, hoping that the enemy will come into view, amazed that he was being attacked from such a distance. Tarian sneaks into an alley, and hits the enemy on the roof again, and then ducks behind more cover. The great axe fighter is still babbling incoherently while Mastodon does a Power Attack, hitting the dual-wielding axe fighter hard with the first hit, but missing the second. Roth takes another shot at the lancer, and hits with one of his arrows. Tarian is hit again with another crossbow bolt. Lo tries to cast Hold Person, but it misses. Myne continues to call out to the wolf while Rauros hits the great axe wielder with one claw.

The dual axe fighter deals massive damage to Mastodon as all four of his attacks hit in a frenzy. Alex manages to move out of the way of another huge fireball that comes hurtling through the air, exploding in a 40-foot diameter, destroying the entire block and setting fire to some of the nearby buildings. When Alex is able to take in the damage, he sees many innocents that have fallen from the attack. Poppet casts Cure Serious Wounds on Mastodon, while Ellete casts Cure Light Wounds in an attempt to recover the massive damage to his body. The dire wolf charges at Mastodon, taking advantage of the crowd surrounding him and managing to connect. From the dark orb, Myne feels a presence try to invade her body, and she manages to save herself from the worst of the damage through sheer will. Alex is finally close enough to the enemy to detect that it is an evil entity, and he senses the presence to be in a building about 60 feet in front of him. Tarian eyes the three-story building where the sharpshooter is located, and spies an entrance to the building. He decides to set off a smoke bomb in front of the entrance to obscure his activity as he makes his way to the entrance. Roth decides to ready himself for the dire wolf's next attack. Tarian sees the sharpshooter from the doorway and manages to avoid half the damage from the shot taken at him. The great axe dwarf continues to babble. Mastodon does another Power Attack on the dual-axe fighter, landing a critical blow on the first hit, and missing with the second. Lo tries to cast Blind on the lancer, but it does not work. Myne continues to call out to the wolf while Rauros hits the great axe fighter with his jaws and one claw.

The dual-axe fighter connects on Mastodon another three times, nearly bringing him to his knees from the damage that he has continually sustained. As Alex runs towards the evil presence, he gasps as a massive wall of fire leaps up in front of him, consuming the entire street in a 20-foot high wall of flame. He takes some damage from the contact with the immense heat, and screams in frustration, desperate to find a way to the enemy creating the massive destruction. Poppet casts Cure Serious Wounds on Mastodon, desperate to bring him back from the injuries he was sustaining. As the wolf makes another pass, Roth jumps at the wolf, and pushes the lancer off his mount. The two of them go tumbling off the other side of it. Mastodon feels something try to invade his mental senses, but he manages to push it off, and feels no effect. Alex sees that whoever this evil is, they were perched on the roof of the building behind the wall of fire. He finds a door in the building in front of the fire, and pushes his way through the smoke, making his way to the other side of the building without slowing. Tarian takes one more shot at the sharpshooter from the ground floor before slipping into the building. Roth lands in a heap on top of the lancer, and takes the advantage, jumping up and drawing his sword but missing his first strike at the lancer. The babbling dwarf with the great axe comes to, and in a sudden rush of rage brings his axe down hard on Rauros, knocking him unconscious in one blow. Mastodon takes another swing at the dual-axe fighter, hitting him once, but missing his second swing. Lo attempts to Grease the lance in the lancer's hands, but the lancer manages to hold onto his weapon. At seeing Rauros fall, Myne screams out and rushes towards the great axe fighter, knowing that she cannot shapeshift if she hopes to bring in the wolf, and misses with her sickle. She does her best to keep her concentration despite her rage, mentally calling to the wolf that has now lost its rider.

The dual-axe fighter hits Mastodon with another two hits while Alex takes another shot to the leg as he runs from one building to the one where his enemy is perched. Poppet heals Mastodon back from his beating once more. In desperation, the lancer breaks the tip off his lance, and it emanates with dark energy. He thrusts the lance at Roth, bringing the ranger nearly to his knees from the evil puncture. Roth feels a poisonous presence, and then feels his body grow weak from the spell. Alex makes it to the building with his enemy, crashing through the door, casting Knight's Calling, and running up the stairs. Tarian runs upstairs, pushes to the rooftop with his enemy, and takes a shot at the familiar-looking sniper in grey. In desperation and agony, Roth tries to move away from the lancer, but as he does so, the lancer swipes at him again, knocking him unconscious from the blow. The grey sniper takes a shot at Tarian, but it misses, twanging into the door behind him. The great axe dwarf focuses on Mastodon now that the bear is dispatched, hitting him with his first swing. Mastodon begins to lose his focus from all the blows, and misses his swings at the dual-axe fighter. The lancer manages to hold onto his lance again, and Lo begins to sing and play Inspire Courage to bolster the group in desperation as they fall around him. Myne screams when she sees Roth fall behind her, and in her rage, she misses the great axe dwarf with her sickle once again, and desperately calls out to the wolf for aid.

The dual axe fighter hits with only one swing at Mastodon, the rest glancing off his massive armor. Poppet hears Myne's scream, and turns to see Roth on the ground. She brings him back to consciousness, and he manages to avoid the lancer's swing at him as he stands. Lo feels a presence enter his body, and then his charms drain from his body from the curse that invades. Alex pushes the door to the rooftop open, and sees a male drow with short white hair. He is gangly-thin, holding a long rifle with a giant scope and silencer fitted to it. Alex casts Smite Evil, and screams as he brings his sword down on the drow, knocking him unconscious with his second blow. Tarian takes another shot at his grey sniper, knocking him unconscious. He ties up the sniper, and finds a potion on him that he takes. Roth backs away from the lancer and fires a sleep arrow that does not work, and his second shot misses. Mastodon's Power Attack misses completely. Lo manages to throw a net over the lancer, snagging him with it. Meanwhile, the great axe dwarf feels the effect of Lo's Confusion spell, and is forced to attack the nearest creature with his next swing. Myne slashes her sickle at the great axe enemy and misses again, but shouts out with triumph as the dire wolf plows into the dual-axe fighter, but its claws do not find a purchase.

The dual-axe fighter swings at Mastodon, but only connects with one of his blows. Poppet heals Mastodon, and Ellete attempts to cast Starlight Blast but the dual-axe fighter dodges the blast. The lancer stays contained in Lo's net, unable to move. Myne feels a contagion invade her body, and she feels sluggish and stiff with the effects of leprosy. From the rooftop, Alex looks around for signs of his companions, and spots an orb of darkness on another rooftop further into the city. It feels evil, and it was close enough that Alex felt he could reach it by jumping a couple buildings. Unfortunately, his jump is not long enough to reach the other building, and he just manages to grip the ledge of the building, and pull himself up. Tarian pulls the mask off his grey-cloaked sniper, and finds what he expects to find: Cole. He takes the mask with a grin and then stabs the inert figure through. He also finds a Masterwork Light Crossbow, a +1 Rapier, a +1 Cloak of Resistance that shimmers with flecks of metal, and a shirt of studded leather armor. Roth takes aim at the dual-axe fighter, desperate to stop the beating that Mastodon was taking as the front lineman, and his shot finds its target, knocking the fighter unconscious. His second shot makes extra sure he is not going to get up again. The dwarf with the great axe takes three swings at Mastodon, but only connects with one of the swings. Mastodon brings his great sword down on the great axe fighter in two heavy swings to retaliate for the damage done to him. Lo tries to trip the netted lancer, throwing him off balance to land in a pathetic heap in front of him. Myne quickly casts a spell to remove the disease cast upon her while the dire wolf claws viciously at the great axe fighter, killing the fighter.

Poppet casts Companion Life Link on Ellete, and she flies up to the dark orb on the roof (the last threatening enemy), and drops an Oil of Daylight bottle into it. The orb of darkness retreats, revealing the enemy on the roof as Ellete flies back down to Poppet. The lancer desperately claws at the net but cannot escape. Up on the roof, the dark-robed, and masked human priestess casts Unholy Blight in her rage to be rid of the do-gooders, making all those with good at their hearts to be sickened and feel the weight of her evil. Even those that were neutral still felt her effect, but not as severely. Alex jumps across another building, seeing his enemy now revealed. He sprints to her and casts Smite Evil as he brings his sword down hard on her, knocking her unconscious. Roth takes aim at the netted lancer, shooting him twice and knocking him unconscious, eliminating the last threat. From his vantage point on the building, Tarian sees fires everywhere and no clear direction to find his friends. He decides his best option is to head for the inn and hope that they would rendezvous there. Poppet breathes a sigh of relief, and then heals Rauros to bring him back from unconsciousness. The bear wakes, and gives her a slobbery lick on her hand before lumbering over to Myne who wraps her arms around him tightly. Poppet then casts Remove Curse on Lo, removing the damaging charisma curse afflicting him. He too feels the need to lick her hand for restoring his adorable features, but holds himself back, simply thanking her and breathing a sigh of relief instead.

The group slowly starts to look around, and shudders at the loss of life and the amount of damage done to the city. They hear screaming from panicked citizens, there is black smoke billowing from various parts of the city, and there is a general air of destruction and chaos caused by the masked organization's ambush.

 _ **Putting Out Fires**_

There is a huge swath of destruction laid out before the group: fires engulf everything in sight, and charred bodies and broken stalls litter the streets like macabre confetti. There are many bystanders that have also sustained injuries, with many crying out for loved ones lost. The atmosphere of the festival has been utterly shattered by the destruction and death. They hear the sounds of clanking armor approaching, and a regiment of city guards approaching, with a half-elf woman with long, straight black hair on horseback at the lead.

The guards approach in quickstep, and the captain swings herself off her horse, then rests her hand on the pommel of her sheathed long sword and says, "You lot! Drop your weapons! I do not want any more blood spilled on my streets."

Roth tries to explain their involvement, but she quickly cuts him off and says, "No matter what your involvement, Judge Patrius will decide your fate. Drop your weapons."

Myne immediately drops the sickle out of her hand while Roth puts his bow away slowly.

Alex yells down from up on the roof, "We mean you no harm! We defended against these foes."

The captain shouts up to Alex with all the sternness of someone trying to do their job regardless of who is in front of her, "That may be, but still you have caused a disturbance in my city, and I cannot allow you to go free."

Alex begrudgingly comes down to the streets while Lo stuffs his net in his pants.

From behind the captain, the group hears a man's voice call out, "Helena, that will be quite enough of that. They are not our enemy!"

Walking towards the group is a man a few years Alex's senior with long, dirty-blonde hair and green eyes. He is wearing white robes with a key embroidered on the sleeves.

The captain of the guard, Helena, gives the approaching man a shocked expression and saying, "But sir, these are potentially dangerous individuals-"

The man cuts her off and says, "Helena, I gave you an order, please listen to it."

In response, she eases her hand away from the pommel of her sword as the man continues, "Our concern is for the safety of the civilians. I need you to organize a party of guards to give aid to the injured and help put out the fires."

When she does not move he adds, "Make haste, Helena."

She gives a stiff salute, and gives the group a dirty look as she summons several guards to stay behind and help with the bodies of the enemies while the rest accompany her as she strides away.

When she is out of earshot, the man says, "I apologize for Helena. She means well, but sometimes she lacks tact when thinking of the protection of her citizens. On behalf of the city of Lucida, I apologize for detaining you. My name is Tom Patrius, I am the city judge and priest to Abadar. I know you are no threat to our city, and I would very much appreciate your aid in getting the city back in order."

With a gesture, he leads the group into the northern quarters to aid the worst part of the city, despite their exhaustion and injuries. The fires are still burning as the group rushes into the district. They see people running in all directions trying to find loved ones, some are making bucket brigades to stop the fires, and others are holding injured loved ones. An unconscious human baker laying in the lap of his wife, and a gnome with wild orange hair and a quill sticking out of it are brought back by Poppet's Healing Hex, as are countless others that they run across.

They see a house fully engulfed in flames with two half-elf children tugging at their mother's dress and asking, "Where is Tommy?"

The mother gives them a look that indicates Tommy is still in the building, and Alex immediately rushes in. Myne sighs at his impulsivity and casts Quench to put out the fire and at least take the heat and fire out of the equation. Alex, now totally soaked from the rush of water through the house, strains to see far into the building, and loses his way, coughing and choking on the smoke. Outside, when they notice that Alex has been in the building for far too long, Myne and Roth rush in to aid the paladin. Poppet consoles the children as the two rush in to help in the search. Inside, Myne and Roth hear the * _clank squish_ * noises of Alex and rush to find him. When they locate the lost paladin, they hear the sounds of barking and yelping from the back of the house. Alex swoons for a moment: he had taken in a lot of smoke from the amount of time he had spent in the building, but he recovers, and the trio make their way towards the sounds. In a back room, behind a closed door they hear the barking and yelping. When they try the door, they see that it is stuck shut. Alex charges the door, splintering it on impact. Smoke and fumes envelop the room, and in a corner, cowering in fright, they see a small dog.

Myne carefully picks up Tommy, giving the dog a snuggle while Alex and Roth give each other looks about the cost of their efforts, and Roth says, "Well at least this fire will not spread to other homes, we have saved more than just the dog."

They make their way outside, and deliver the puppy to the outstretched arms of the overjoyed children. In other parts of the city near the harbor, the group sees that guards have formed bucket brigades, and the group works alongside the guards in the massive effort to get the city back under control.

 _ **Judge Patrius' Premonition**_

After a few hours of work, when the sun begins to sink in the sky, the city becomes still and quiet.

Judge Patrius approaches the group as they finish the last of the cleanup and says, "Thank you for all that you have done. This city would be in much worse shape if you had not aided in the cleanup. I would like to invite you all back to my office. There is something I wish to speak with you about."

The group nods complacently at his request, and they begin to follow him back into the government district.

Myne looks around and says, "Hey, where the heck is Tarian?"

Back at the Grand Lucida, Tarian is restless as he waits for his companions to return. The sun is setting, and the Grand Lucida is still quiet and empty save the bartender and himself. He had been holding a compress to his thigh where he is bleeding from a crossbow bolt, and he had a couple other wounds that were aching; he desperately needed Poppet. He finally makes up his mind to leave the tavern and search the streets for his friends. He leaves a note with the bartender in case the group comes back before he finds them, and asks the bartender if he knew of the last location his friends may have been heading for. The bartender shrugs and mentions that three of the last to leave from his room were going to seek out a high religious figure, and points him in the direction of the government district where the majority of temples were located, including the office of Judge Patrius.

Tarian wanders the streets around the government district, and as he turns around he sees his group coming towards him with a rather important-looking man in robes.

He sees Myne smile when she recognizes him, and she shouts, "Where have you been?"

Tarian sighs when they are all together again and says, "It has been a long day. I got lost after our friend Cole shot me..."

The group give him looks that indicates they are not surprised that he too was ambushed, and he holds out the slightly blood-speckled mask he pulled off Cole's body and continues with, "He regrets that decision now."

The group retells their own fights to Tarian as they make their way to the judge's office, and when they are inside with the door closed Judge Patrius takes a moment to collect himself before he speaks.

He says, "I did not realize it before, but I know you all. I have seen your faces in my prayers. If I may ask, who are you all, and who were the figures in the grey masks?"

As he speaks, Alex's mind quickly reaches for his religious studies to recall the god Abadar, the god that this judge stood for. He knows that Abadar is the god of cities, law, merchants, and wealth; a far-seeing deity that sought to bring civilization and order to the world. Abadar was a neutral-aligned god, refusing to endorse one side or the other, as long as the purity of a thriving civilization could be attained.

He thinks, _This man might not care if it is Isidore or the Pathfinders that win out the day, so long as his neutral island is left standing…_

As Alex thinks this, and Judge Patrius stands and awaits an answer, Myne looks to Roth to be their spokesman.

Roth steps forward and says, "The masked figures are why we have travelled to your island. Judge Patrius, our assailants are part of a group called The Organization. We believe they are receiving assistance or even leading the Isidorian army. We are part of a group-"

Here, Alex cuts Roth off and says, "We are on an important mission, and you are not privy to the details concerning it."

The judge seems to give the group a look of understanding and says, "I see, I will not pry. I will tell you though, Abadar has shown me a vision of this meeting, and of obstacles you may face ahead. In my vision, seven of you stand before a tower that pierces the sky, which may be a metaphor for the loftiness of your goals. I saw scales with weights on both sides, which may portray a decision that must be made. One will have to make a great choice...that is all my vision has been able to reveal to me."

Myne quietly says, "That is quite ominous."

The spell of quiet awe and contemplation is broken when there is a knock at the door and Helena's voice from behind it, "Sir, we need to discuss matters regarding today's incident."

The judge looks around at them all with a small smile and says, "Unfortunately duty calls. I wish you luck, whatever obstacles you may face."

He opens the door to admit Helena, who gives them all another glare as they leave the judge's office. Alex gives a bow of thanks since he is the last one to leave, and as he steps over the threshold Helena closes the door behind him.

They all make their way out of the building, and slowly descend the steps into the darkening streets, but do not notice that Tarian has lingered behind to listen at the door of the judge's office. He puts his ear to the door and catches Helena's conversation about the placement of the captives from the battle: they are being held downstairs, in individual cells in the adjacent building. She once again pushes her concerns about the group, believing that they are a danger to the city.

One phrase Tarian catches is, "...if they were attacked by this Organization, what is stopping another attack? They should be on their way immediately!"

Tarian hears the judge interject that he understands her concerns, and to help alleviate those fears she could set up guards and extra patrols to watch the group and the city as it sleeps, to look out for peculiar activity. Not wanting to be caught next to the door, Tarian decides he has heard enough, and makes his way out of the courthouse, catching up with the group as they step into the tavern with their heavy thoughts. They begin to talk to each other about the next important thing: food and rest.

Tarian asks, "Do you think we can have that room for another night? I'm exhausted, and a soft feather bed will be much-appreciated."

Myne tentatively says, "I do not want to stay in that room another night… not since the person that gave us that key was part of the Organization. They would know right where to find us."

Alex grins at her with his arms crossed and says, "That is the smartest decision you have made in a long time."

As one, they decide to sleep on the ship, and after grabbing their packs, they make their way down to the docks in time to see the _Duchess of Wati_ pulling up to the dock. Sailors throw down ropes to tie the ship, and the gangplank is lowered in front of their feet. They make their way up to the decks, and Kamara is there, ready for their questions.

She does not wait for them to speak, and says, "I hope we didn't worry you, but with half the harbor on fire we left...just out into the bay to escape the flames. I regret my decision to take you on this quest, but I will not leave you. Besides, most of my crew are staying in Lucida, they will not be joining us for the last leg of the journey. It will just be a skeleton crew and you folks; no cargo, no unnecessary people. We leave early in the morning. I take it you are staying aboard the ship tonight?"

They give a nod, and Lo quickly mumbles that he might have a large, flightless bird to add to the cargo hold. The group make themselves comfortable in their familiar cabins, and Myne heals Roth's wounds as best she can. The spell is too weak to bring back all that he had lost from the day, and Poppet aids him with another spell. She also seeks out Tarian in his bunk, recalling his bloody leg from earlier, and healing him back to full strength before turning in for bed, weakened from the exhausting work of aiding her comrades, but happy with the help she gave.


	46. Voyage to Isidore: 17th Gozr-4th Desnus

**17th of Gozran-2nd of Desnus:** **The Last Leg**

Early in the morning, the bustle of launching the ship wakes the group long before the sails are unfurled. The atmosphere is subdued: the skeleton crew must work extra hard to get the ship underway, and the group knows that this leg of their journey is a one-way trip.

Kamara does her classic arms akimbo stance, looking out to sea and says to the group, "This is it. Your destination is about 22 days' travel from here. As soon as I have reached the drop-off point, you are on your own. My ship and what's left of my crew turn around and head back to Lucida."

During the two weeks of travel, Roth crafts arrows, and Poppet and Myne make progress with their potions. Myne finally does not burn her potions, and squeals in exaltation at the progress of her concoction. Poppet also takes the time to learn the scrolls she purchased from Jeremiah, and casts tattoos upon Ellete.

 **3rd-4th of Desnus: A Harrowing Affair**

 _ **A Reading for Alex**_

During the day, work keeps the inhabitants of _The Duchess_ too focused to do much worrying. Focus gives way to merriment and mischief at the end of shifts, with cards, drinks, and music offering a cheerful end to long days on the sun-soaked deck. It is only when retiring to their shared quarters that the party's thoughts grow darker with tension at the ever-nearing presence of Isidore. On one such night, Myne trails after Poppet on their shared journey back to their beds. Poppet is laughing softly at something her familiar is whispering quite conspiratorially in her ear, swaying softly under the influence of the waves of the sea and the elven wine Myne had convinced her to indulge in. Watching her friend's graceful walk, she is reminded with a pang of fondness of her cousin-but her thoughts quickly turn sour, and a tension curls tight in the center of her chest. Her breathing speeds up slightly, her muscles tensing as her thoughts circle around the inevitable conflict that will occur between them all soon.

She runs a thumb along her Ring of Counterspell, _The magic is still strong, Sara hasn't tried to scry on me._

She wills her breathing to return to normal, and wipes her sweaty palms against the fabric of her pants.

Rounding the opening to their quarters, the women see Roth and Alex lounging on the bottom bunks, propped up against either wall, and Rauros already sleeping in the space between the two sets of bunks. She gives Alex a quick glance, and her stomach turns to think of his attitude towards her, increasing her anxiety. She feels her tension unwind at the sight of Roth though, relaxed despite Isidore looming ever-closer. She blushes softly as he smiles at her, and takes a seat on the edge of the bed near the ranger. Roth smiles and reaches out a hand to give his companion a squeeze on the shoulder. Myne returns the smile and briefly holds on to the hand that rests on her shoulder before realizing that Poppet and Alex have been talking.

"Do not tease me, _Woman_ ," Alex says, giving Poppet a wry grin, "Spending any amount of time with tipsy women on this ship is not my idea of a good evening."

Poppet throws him a hurt look and rests her hand against her chest, haughty gaze darting to Myne and Roth.

She huffs at them and says, "Says the _paladin_ , to the inebriated woman occupying the same cabin on this very ship!"

She lets out an undignified squawk as Alex throws a pillow at her, knocking her off balance to land softly on the bed behind her with Myne and Roth. Her giggles erupt, followed shortly by laughing from the rest of them.

Wiggling slightly and sitting up, Poppet removes the pair of ever-present pouches from her belt. She opens the lid briefly, running her eyes along the harrowing cards protected within before following the path quickly with her finger. Myne wonders if she could tell from just the light touch if any of the cards were missing.

Alex glares at Poppet halfheartedly, interrupting the moment of absentmindedness in the sylph, "You know I did not include present company in such a statement."

Moment broken, Poppet laughs and places her cards on the bed near her, before she tosses the offending pillow back to its rightful owner.

"You should have kept it," Roth tells her with a laugh, and they all dissolve back into laughter.

As Myne controls her mirth, her eyes flit back and forth between Alex and Poppet who resume their good-natured teasing. She spies Ellete, too, taking a seat on top of the pouch of harrowing cards.

She feels Roth move closer to sit behind her on the edge of the bed, soft words reaching her. "Have you ever seen a harrowing performed?" he asks, noting Myne's attention.

"No! Have you?" Myne asks, excited.

She continues, "I keep asking Poppet for a reading, but she always evades my pestering!"

Roth laughs, easily imagining his inquisitive and insatiable companion pestering their strange friend incessantly. Not for the first time, Roth thanks the gods that Poppet has taken an interest in the younger woman, always putting up with the redhead's questions.

"Before Kassen, I traveled. And I may have seen one or two harrow readings," he tells Myne, watching her eyes widen in wonder before darting back towards Ellete and her makeshift seat.

Poppet catches Myne's glance and tuts, "Roth, I just managed to dodge her last round of badgering!"

While her tone carries a disapproving edge, Roth sees the amusement that flits across the petite woman's face. Myne immediately begins hounding Poppet with questions.

Alex, gaze hardening slightly, turns his attention to Myne. "Stop pestering her. If Poppet does not wish to indulge your childish whimsy, then good on her for trying to focus your attentions to our duty!"

Myne's eyes widen and snap to Alex, hurt slashing across her face before she lowers her gaze. Roth and Poppet shoot Alex disapproving glances, and Ellete reaches to throw something at the paladin. The only thing within range and light enough for her to toss is a ring on Poppet's finger, which she tries to wrangle from Poppet's hand.

"Hey!" Poppet exclaims, wrenching her arm from her familiar's grasp.

The tension breaks as the other three watch the small azata try, and fail repeatedly to steal the object literally off her master's finger.

When she hears Myne's laugh, Poppet looks up and offers her friend a small smile. The gesture is returned, but still somewhat strained on the young druid's face. Myne's eyes drift wistfully back to the harrowing cards near Poppet's knee.

"You know," Poppet begins, drawing Myne's gaze back to her own, "it's more tricks than magic. Reading people, knowing how to get answers without asking questions, stacking a deck…"

She drifts off, seeing Myne sigh lightly. The druid seems to deflate more at her words, and Myne's eyes flit over to Alex briefly. A grin flashes wickedly for a moment across Poppet's face before her cards are in her hands, eyes zeroing in on Alex. Disbelief crosses his face as he realizes her intention, but Alex gives Poppet the smallest nod of his head. Poppet, stranger as she might be to him, had proven herself a worthy companion to both himself and to Myne, and he knew it would probably be best to let the witch play her game.

Moving to sit cross legged on his bed, Poppet begins shuffling the thin pieces of metal in her hands. She laughs off Myne's whine that it isn't fair that she is apparently willing to perform for Alex, and angles her body so that she is facing the paladin without impeding Myne and Roth's view of her cards. Alex watches her hands shift the cards. He has seen her do it, of course, shuffle the plates between nimble fingers on a near-nightly basis; a habit, he thought, to calm her nerves with familiarity. It seems an almost effortless action on her part, and Alex realizes, glancing at her face quickly, that it probably was after years of practice. He watches her part the cards one last time, rotating half of them before shuffling them one last time. Handing the deck to him, she asks him quietly to cut the deck. He takes the deck from her hands and stills a moment at the gentle stirring of his own magic against his mind. He turns questioning eyes back to Poppet, who gives him a small, secretive smile.

"A good trick," she murmurs softly.

For the first time since he has met the woman, Alex takes a good look at the cards that were so intrinsically a part of her person. While only the back of a card was presented to him, he could tell the cards were light and expertly-crafted. Mithril, most likely, engraved with a delicate and masterful hand if the intricate patterns on the back was any indication. Without delaying any longer, Alex splits the cards roughly two thirds of the way down the stack, holding the two stacks out to Poppet. She takes them, placing the smaller pile on top, before beginning to place cards face down in the space between them.

The first card is placed face down in front of Alex. Poppet deals another two cards a row away from him. Then another three. She finishes a fourth row of four cards before she places the remaining deck on the bed beside her.

"The Path," Poppet says quietly, and Alex smothers a threatening smile with his hand at the showmanship he hears entering the woman's voice.

"One may use The Path to gain insight on their actions, past, present, and future."

Poppet meets Alex's eyes, and gives him a dangerous-looking smile, "Would you turn over the first card?"

First, Alex rolls his eyes at the witch-because clearly she was enjoying this-but he does as she asks. An armored figure is revealed, grasping a sword in one hand and holding his other out, as if to take the hand of the viewer.

"Ahh," Poppet let's out an appropriately amused hum, "The Paladin. How fitting."

Myne giggles at the pair on the opposite bed. She shuffles off her own seat to kneel on the floor closer to the cards, politely asking Rauros to move over and make room. Roth slides nearly silently to her side, amused eyes watching Poppet's expression rather than the cards.

Alex scoffs before asking, "And what insight is there in me revealing this card?"

He notices the feigned apologetic expression that crosses Poppets face as she announces, "Forgive me, I am out of practice!"

She has the nerve to place an appropriately soft and nervous giggle. Alex resists the urge to roll his eyes again.

Poppet continues, "The first card in The Path represents your role in upcoming events, Alex. While the title of the card might be, perhaps, less than subtle, The Paladin is more than just a profession in this case. It signifies your will to stand resolutely against trouble; your refusal to back down from what you perceive as unjust."

Myne hums her agreement to Poppet, turning her happy gaze to meet Alex's.

Alex grins at the witch, "A coincidence, surely. After all, I choose what card would be on the top of the deck, not you."

An entirely too-pleasant smile flits across Poppets face, "Of course, The Path is all about your choice, I have little say in the matter. Now, the next card will represent your past, Alex. Please, choose a card from the second row."

Her left hand, covered in the swirling tattoos she had seemingly received overnight, gestures to the two cards to choose from. He hesitates only briefly, before turning over the card on the left.

"The Eclipse," Poppet murmurs, voice turning soft.

The others take in the card's design: A man running from what appears to be a mob of undead, but it is the large gem in the center of the card haloed by the sun's rays that draws the attention.

Shifting his gaze to The Paladin, Alex realizes he failed to notice the smaller gem adorning the first card-a jewel on the broad side of the paladin's blade, _Starstone shards?!_

Myne is the one to break his concentration this time. "What's it mean?" she asks, wonder breaking into her voice.

Alex smiles fondly for a moment.

He returns his gaze to Poppet before she answers, "The Eclipse signifies one's loss of faith and purpose."

She smiles sadly at Alex, and he looks away to Myne and Roth. Roth, he notices, glances at Poppet with an impressed look. Myne is staring at the cards, eyes wide at Poppet's words. Alex sighs as he realizes that Myne is eating the performance up.

Not for the first time, he wonders, _Gods, if there were any way I could leave her innocent, half-elvish ass at one of these ports to keep her safe I would. Problem being that she would just turn into a bird and stubbornly follow us anyway._

Poppet breaks into his thoughts, "I'd rather not delve too deeply here, as I believe the wounds may still be too fresh. The next card, Alex, will show you in the present."

Not thinking into it at all, Alex flips the middle card. The image gives him pause for a moment. A figure with multiple injuries that sits on a throne, surrounded by treasure and… ghosts?

Myne is already asking questions, and Poppet laughs at the druid before answering, "The Survivor. A creature who has overcome a terrible ordeal. The loss of faith is never an easy journey, but the loss of a loved one..."

Poppet pauses, but it is not the soft, pained gasp of Myne that causes the break in her words. It is the flash of anger in Alex's expression.

 _Not anger at my words_ , Poppet thinks to herself, _or even the situation. Anger that I have, perhaps, played this game more masterfully than he had anticipated._

With a short prayer to Iomedae, Alex forces his irritation at the witch to pass. He had wished to teach Myne that harrowing was a meaningless lie, a tactless game. Poppet would pull out some random cards, she would spin a tale of bullshit, and Myne would see that it wasn't real. He had severely underestimated her skill.

Poppet's voice reaches him, "The card represents your struggle to survive, Alex, even when everyone thought you were lost to them."

He thinks, _I haven't completely lost my annoyance with her, either._

Poppet hesitates before attempting to explain the final row, _Alex is already terribly angry, and if I played the cards right, if I lead him to choose the card I slipped to the top of the deck..._

She looks to Alex, and raises a questioning eyebrow to the man, _We can stop, you needn't flip the last card. If it is your wish, we have played this game far enough._

He looks down at the last row and nearly sighs at her, "My future, I suppose?" he asks, left hand hovering over the last row.

Poppet hums an affirmation. Myne's hand darts out, and takes hold of Alex's right hand where it grips his own knee with white knuckles.

"Alex," she says, but he shakes his head at the redhead.

Roth's hand comes to rest on Myne's leg, thumb running small circles in an attempt to console Myne's distress. It takes a minute before Alex finally moves to turn over a card. The last card to the right. Roth notices that Poppet's eyes slide closed before the card is ever revealed, brows furrowing as if in some small pain. When he looks back to Alex and Myne, he sees their attention drawn to the final card. And what a final card it was. He knew the card, vaguely, though he usually saw a more literal interpretation on the face of the card. In Poppet's deck, the card showed a weeping woman, crown upon her brow, head cradled between both hands, kneeling in grief before a grave. The crowned specter of a man appears faintly in the distance. The fact that the card is turned upside down, if Roth remembered correctly, is not an entirely desirable outcome.

While Poppet's earlier posture had given away her reluctance to put Alex in further distress, the thin, tired voice she spoke in displays her own pain in this event, "The Empty Throne. That the image is upside down means it is reversed. Normally, the card would imply that you are to carry those who are gone with you always. The importance of the lessons they taught, the palpable sense of loss now that they are gone."

Poppet's eyes fall to her own lap, unable to risk meeting Alex's gaze, or Myne's, "Reversed, however: The ghosts of the past are restless, and will require some great effort on your part to put them to rest."

Alex clenches his jaw, glaring at Poppet. Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, Alex lets his gaze fall to The Empty Throne card, before sliding over to Myne. The young druid, eyes misting over with tears, stares at Poppet with mouth agape. Her chin quivers slightly before she rips her gaze away from the witch. Even Roth stares at Poppet with something akin to distaste-a joke recognized as taken one step too far. And Poppet-the lithe woman who usually dropped her gaze to no one-had lowered her eyes towards the wall away from the rest of the room, refusing to meet anyone's eye. Feeling a small pair of hands bump against his back-surely the familiar trying to get him to make this better somehow-Alex finally lets out a loud sigh, causing the others to look at him.

"Well done," he offers Poppet, inclining his head to her slightly, "I hadn't expected you to be quite so…"

"Malicious?" Poppet offers with a sad smile.

She continues, "It would have never worked on a paying customer, but…"

Myne looks back between Alex and Poppet, waiting for someone to fill the silence after the witch trailed off.

Looking at the cards laid between all of them and thinking back on Poppet's words, Myne wipes her eyes with her arm and realizes, "Ah! You never said anything specific! Just vague descriptions, and you let us make our own connections! That's… that's _amazing_!"

Roth laughs softly at Myne, while Poppet sheepishly meets her eyes. She gazes back at Poppet, and blushes furiously when she sees the knowing expression cross her friend's features.

"You still wish for me to read a spread for you, Myne?" Poppet asks her.

Leaning across the space, she cups Myne's face between her palms before kissing her forehead, "If that's what you'd like, I suppose I can indulge you. Something less… fixed."

Alex interrupts the smaller woman, moving carefully around her and the cards still laid out between them to stretch out on his bed, and says through gritted teeth, "If you plan to continue _this_ ," his glare moves from Poppet to her cards, but then his eyes roam over the final image on The Empty Throne, and his anger leaves him in a sigh as he finishes his declaration lamely, "Continue this at some other point."

He turns onto his side towards the wall and resolutely closes his eyes. Poppet makes quick work of picking up her cards while Roth climbs to his bunk on the other side of the room, and Myne follows him up to his bed to squeeze in next to him. Ellete, with a look of sad frustration at Alex's back, finally flits up to Poppet's bed and claims half the woman's pillow.

As she slips from Alex's bed to climb up to her own, Poppet pauses. Without turning, she whispers something that Alex doesn't catch, and momentarily he realizes that the language was not one he knew. A brief flash of anger ignites in him before he squeezes his eyes shut, bringing a hand up to grasp the bridge of his nose where a headache is forming. Sighing, he ignores the woman and feigns sleep. After another moment, Poppet slides her cards home into the pouches, and climbs to her bunk above Alex. He sees her silhouette as she waves an arm and the fire of their lantern goes dark.

 _ **A Reading for Myne**_

The next day, Myne tries to wait until evening for Poppet to sit down with her. She _really_ tries. She makes it until noon, when she finally tracks Poppet down. She finds the sylph sitting on deck near Alex, offering him a plate of food. The look on Alex's face, paired with his frequent glances to the railing of the ship, make Myne wonder if he's debating whether he'd rather throw himself overboard instead of accepting Poppet's offer. With great reluctance, hunger apparently wins out, and the man begrudgingly takes the plate and sits on a nearby crate to eat. Poppet is left to wonder if she should push her luck and join him, before Myne grabs her friend by the arm and pulls her back to their shared room. When she finally gets Poppet to begin shuffling her cards Myne is grinning and drumming her fingers against her legs, nearly vibrating with the energy of her contained excitement. She nearly drops the plates when Poppet asks her to cut the deck, eliciting a laugh of genuine enjoyment from her friend.

"I thought we'd do something different than yesterday," Poppet tells her friend, pausing for a moment before flipping cards face down on the bed.

Myne watches as seven cards are placed before her in a pattern different than the one she had seen last night. Three cards side-by-side are placed in the middle, framed by a two-card column on either side.

Poppet's fingers dance over the grooves in the metal of the cards while she explains, "This spread is called The Bridge. It will give you guidance on a particular course of action."

An almost guilty look crosses her face as she meets Myne's eyes, "I have not stacked the deck in any sense, unlike what you saw last night. This is as real a peek into your future as I can give you. I will flip the cards over and try my best to explain the meanings and greater picture. Any questions?"

Myne glances between the cards and the woman in front of her. Suddenly, she is very glad that she managed to isolate Poppet for such an event.

Running her thumb along the smooth metal of her ring, she ensures the magic remains strong, protecting the moment from any outside gazes, "I am supposed to have some sort of question in mind as we start this?"

Poppet hums softly, before tilting her head slightly and smiling, "I thought it would be obvious you would want to know of our journey. Uncertain thoughts have drifted across your face too often as of late," Poppet tells the druid, who nods in return.

Inhaling deeply, Poppet closes her eyes and tips back her head. The fingers of her left hand reach blindly in front of her to dart across the back of the top card in the left most column. As she lets out her breath, she feels a surge of magic run up her fingers where they connect to the mithril, dancing quickly like lightning along the markings on the left side of her body.

 _Odd_ , she thinks, before hooking her fingers under the side of the first plate and flipping it over.

Eyes opening to stare at the moving bunk, she can tell that Myne is staring at the first card revealed in the spread.

"This first card tells the tale of the beginning of your story," she murmurs to her friend, voice warm and gentle and instantly taking on the coo of the professional harrower.

She only just stops herself from wrinkling her nose at her inability to give a simple reading, _I could at least tone down the performance for Myne._

Looking down at the card in front of her finally, Poppet smiles.

A female figure twirls on one leg, balancing on pointed toes, "The Dance," she declares, watching Myne's eyes widen, the swirling questions visible behind them.

 _Really, the girl could put most sylphs to shame with the depth of her curiosity._

She continues before Myne can find her voice, "It need not indicate a literal dance, Dearest. The Dance is a rich and delicate framework that requires everyone within it to abide by its rules, lest the entire construct collapse. It requires the dancers to know their own place and stay in perfect step."

She pauses, and raises a questioning eyebrow to Myne.

Myne thinks for a moment, and then speaks, "It sounds like the Rite of Passage in my village. Maybe. It was the six of us; Tarian, Lo, Roth, Alex, Sara and myself. We had to go to this creepy crypt and light a lantern. It sounds so simple when I explain it like that."

Poppet laughs softly, but doesn't interrupt her as she continues, "The adults of the village were all in on it. Pits filled with pillows instead of spikes, mechanisms that shot out blunted arrows. But there was some dark magic that threw everything into chaos. And the next thing I knew, we were all tasked with helping the Pathfinders prevent everything from going to shit."

Poppet gives her friend a smile. "It sounds quite plausible that this card would refer to such an ordeal. The steps fell from the rhythm of the music, and thus you were tasked with the prevention of some great misfortune."

Myne's face falls a bit, and Poppet imagines the young woman thinking of her cousin, and her inability to save Saraneth from whatever has possessed her. She reaches over and briefly squeezes Myne's hand in her own, relief tangible when she sees the darkness recede from the druid's eyes.

"Shall we see what the next card shows us?" she asks, waiting for the nod of Myne's head.

She reaches out and quickly flips the card below The Dance, breath stopping short in her breast. Dark in dress and implication, a rogue moves past the face of the card before them, dagger dripping in what Poppet knows to be poison. It takes her a second to hide her own surprise at the rather well-placed card, but is glad to see Myne's focus on the image rather than her own person.

"The Snakebite," she tells Myne, proud that her voice remains steady despite her own feelings of dread at seeing the card.

At her words, she sees Myne's eyes zero in on the dripping dagger depicted on the card as she explains, "This is the card that represents the impetus that has spurred you on this journey. What drives you to continue despite the overwhelming odds. The Snakebite represents a weapon coated in vile poison-a poison that can take on many forms. I think it safe to theorize that it is the black ichor that rots the very earth beneath us that has prompted you to stay on this path."

Myne swallows thickly, thinking of ichor, and of Tarian's corrupted hand. "I think that would be safe to assume," she agrees.

She takes a moment to look up, and sees Poppet regarding her, wariness bleeding into her features.

She hesitates, trusting her friend, but finally asks, "I thought you said this wouldn't be a stacked deck…"

The smile Poppet gives her would appear sweet to those who might not know her, but Myne sees how strained it is on the sylph's face. Her assurances that she has not placed these cards at the top of the deck do little to soothe the fraying edges of Myne's nerves.

"The next three cards," Poppet says, as she gestures to the three cards in the middle of the spread, "represent the trials and tribulations you are destined to encounter on this journey of yours. These cards influence each other, so I will turn them at the same time."

Poppet watches Myne give her a small nod before the druid's focus once again slips to the cards. Forcing down her own trepidation, Poppet pauses as her fingers skirt the metal of the third card briefly. She pauses before closing her eyes and pressing her fingers with more force against the center of the card. That same feeling as before, stronger with the firmer connection to the actual metal, runs along the path of her body. Opening her eyes and peering at her arm, she almost expects to see her markings glowing with some strange magic, but everything appears… _normal_. She thinks of the small gems and stones embedded on the face of each card, additions she had thought were merely for decoration when she had first inherited this deck of cards. Now, however, she knew that one of the gems on each card was a Starstone shard in disguise: shards that gave her power and allowed her to access her magic.

 _Perhaps I just never focused on the sensation of the flow of magic between the shards and my own power until now? Somehow, I am not quite convinced of that._

She had wasted enough time already. Flipping the next three cards over in quick succession, Poppet takes a moment to study each card.

"The Empty Throne, The Foreign Trader, The Uprising," she murmurs, more for herself than for Myne's benefit.

She breathes a sigh of relief as she looks at The Empty Throne, image depicted in its normal orientation for Myne.

She nearly winces at the guilt she still feels at playing the card against Alex, _At least he is on speaking terms with me again this morning… somewhat._

The Foreign Trader gives her pause. Reversed, she can see the odd man displayed on the image, the plethora of strange memorabilia presumably for sale. A true neutral-aligned card, so being reversed means little in the grand scheme of things.

Looking at the last card, her eyes narrow, _The cards are almost too perfect, this reads like something I would set up on purpose, but on a truly random shuffling of the deck?_

She thinks again of the strange magic flaring up from the cards themselves, _Perhaps this is something different?_

 _No_ , she thinks, _I am reading into this too far._

Finally, she notices that Myne's eyes haven't left the first card of the trials laid before her. She feels a smile smooth over her lips, before she reaches out and grasps Myne's chin between her thumb and forefinger, tilting the woman's face up to meet her own. Myne visibly relaxes and she catches sight of her friend's smile.

"You're correct to assume The Empty Throne signifies Sara, just as it did for Alex," Poppet starts explaining, releasing her hold on Myne's chin to gesture to the cards again, "but fear not, in this orientation it is not quite as tragic. It simply shows the ghosts you have lost that will always remain with you."

She pauses again, eyes stopping briefly over each of the three cards, "Looking at your spread as a whole, there are no evil-aligned cards in your trials, but that does not mean there will be no effort or pain in their completion."

Myne nods, looking between the three cards with determination.

"The second trial shows The Foreign Trader. That it is reversed is of no consequence, as it is a truly neutral card in the harrow."

Poppet pauses, thinking back to the countless readings she has performed to calm her nerves since the beginning of this particular journey. Traveling with the same group of people for months, she had begun to associate certain cards with her party members.

She hesitates before continuing, "I have to admit, it's not a card I _expected_ to see in your trials, but perhaps I am letting my past associations with the card color my own reading."

Myne questions her further, "What do you mean? What past associations?"

Poppet has a brief flash of embarrassment; _Normal people did not spend days analyzing their friends to figure out which harrow card fit them best._

"Honestly, it's a card I've come to accept as a representation of Tarian," she finally admits.

At Myne's laugh, she rushes to explain, "Important people usually come up as certain cards in readings! There's a card for each of you that I…" she flushes, and looks to floor.

Myne barely controls her laughter before she reaches out to grab Poppet's hands, "Which one am I?" she asks in a rush, giggling as Poppet's flush spreads further.

"The Owl, and I'm not explaining it to you currently! Do you want me to continue or not?"

Myne takes a while to control her giggling, but eventually waves at Poppet to continue.

Rolling her eyes, Poppet continues once Myne is reasonably quiet again, "Like I said, I'm honestly surprised to see The Foreign Trader here. The card represents spies and merchants, and those that trade in information."

"Ah," Myne exclaims, "I can see the connection now!"

She barely contains her mirth, her shoulders shaking from her giggles, and Poppet lets out a soft laugh again as she tries to elaborate on the card, "Perhaps it has more to do with a secret being kept from you, rather than Tarian himself. Or perhaps it's both," she offers, sighing in amusement as Myne laughs again.

Myne raises an eyebrow and says, "I'm sure Tarian has many secrets, and I'm equally sure they have nothing to do with me!"

Poppet shrugs at her, saying, "In any event, there is some secret you must overcome."

Gesturing to the third trial, a card depicting a mob, flames rising in the background, Poppet explains, "Your last trial is The Uprising. It signifies being caught up in the clutches of something more powerful than yourself."

Myne has a moment of panic, and checks the magic in her ring again, _Still strong._

She lets out a breath, switching her gaze from the rather terrifying card to Poppet's face, "It is an overwhelming strength that often crushes what comes in contact with it. I can't narrow down _what_ exactly this represents. It could mean Sara-or at least whatever Sara has become-or her companion, Kyus, or something we have yet to encounter. Of note, it does not imply that you cannot triumph over it. It simply states that you will run into such a thing, if you haven't already."

Poppet takes a breath, and gives Myne a moment to let the information sink in. There are questions, she can see, but Poppet is unsure if she has the answers. Again, she looks down to the cards, gaze pulled to the last two cards that are still face down. She can nearly feel the magic trying to draw her hand, to have her flip the last two and complete the harrowing. She shakes her head sharply, dislodging curls from her braid.

Myne finally voices a question, "If I'm already caught up in the third of my trials, why have I not completed the second?"

Myne reaches out and bumps the bottom of The Foreign Trader with her index finger, shifting it slightly out of line in the spread.

Poppet gives her a small shrug, telling her, "Perhaps you have, but you have not realized. After all, if it does represent Tarian, then you have encountered him. Perhaps he has even revealed some secret that you have not put into context?"

Both women pause for a moment, staring at each other before erupting into laughter.

Eventually, Poppet speaks again, mirth still evident in her tone, "The next card in The Bridge will reveal your ultimate goal in this journey. Are you ready?"

At Myne's nod, Poppet reaches out a hand and unceremoniously flips the card over. A sharp shock nearly leaves her fingers numb, and she freezes. Heart pounding in her ears, Poppet stares at her own hand. She can feel her magic reacting strangely under her skin, raising to the surface as if she were casting a spell before calming again. She quickly scans the room, and she catches sight of Ellete peeking around the corner of the door frame. She hears, almost distantly, Myne greet Ellete but the azata doesn't move. With an odd seriousness that Poppet has only seen a few times, Ellete simply stares at Poppet before offering a small bow and retreating. It gives her pause; Ellete is usually quite the character, a seemingly never-ending ball of energy with a serious knack for getting into trouble, or food. The quiet calm she just witnessed, however, is usually reserved for acts involving…

Poppet's eyes widen and she feels like she's been hit with an ice spell, _Milani?!_

"Poppet?" Myne's concern lacing the word finally gets through to her friend.

Poppet snaps her head back to Myne, and forces a smile to her face. She looks down, for the first time seeing the dilapidated woman engraved in the metal.

She tries to keep her voice even as she says, "Right, the card represents your ultimate goal-"

Myne cuts her off with a smile, "You've already explained that."

Poppet's laugh is strained when she apologizes, "The Sickness, reversed. Given the reading thus far, it would suggest that your goal would be to heal this land and prevent a great disaster. Both would fit with the card's reversed orientation."

Poppet realizes that her explanation is short, but her concentration keeps slipping to the final card. She hears Myne reply, but doesn't catch the words. She sounds appeased though, agreeable in her tone.

At this point, Poppet is barely paying attention to her, _How many readings have I performed? Hundreds? Thousands? It doesn't matter,_ she finally concludes, _Perhaps this is the one reading that has ever offered a true glimpse into something more. Despite the reading being performed for Myne, our fates are intertwined in some sense. Perhaps I will catch sight of something in my own future with that final card..._

Dread and dark curiosity warred a battle inside of her while Poppet continued staring at the final, unflipped card. She knew, at this point, that Myne had picked up on the strangeness of her attitude. And yet she couldn't force herself to put on a pretty smile and wash away the seriousness of the situation.

"The final card represents what you must give up in order to obtain your goals," Poppet says in a small voice.

The swirling lines etched into the surface seem to rearrange into the faces of different cards she is suddenly worried to reveal, _Will I have to tell Myne she will have to give up on saving her cousin? Or cut whatever strings have slowly been tying her to the ranger?_

As the cards run through her head, a cold wash of panic hits her when she thinks of The Bear, a card normally depicting pure strength, but a more literal translation... At the implication of Rauros, she begins to think of all the cards she had begun to associate with this group of strange adventurers, and a shudder runs through her.

"You don't have to turn it," Myne's voice was a small thing as she tries to get through to Poppet.

Her friend was looking at the final unturned card as if it was trying to jump from the bed and end her. Despite Poppet's statement to the contrary, she had assumed up until this point that her friend hadn't been able to resist and had ordered the cards to be played. But watching the lithe woman on the bed across from her, Myne understood with no small amount of trepidation, that Poppet hadn't arranged this.

 _Perhaps_ , she thinks to herself, _this is something more than what Poppet claims she could do._

When she notices Poppet finally drag her eyes away from the card, she offers the woman a gentle smile, "We can just forget about this, you've done enough for me, Poppet."

"No."

The single word brooks no argument. There was a wash of wry amusement; hadn't Poppet offered Alex the same last night? With a shaking hand, Poppet reaches out to flip the final card over only to hesitate at the last moment. Fingers curled around the edge of the plate, she feels the thrum of magic radiating up her hand, churning up her own magic. After several moments, Myne reaches out a hand of her own, placing it on the back on Poppet's. By the shocked look that widened the redhead's eyes, Poppet knew she could feel some ghost of the magic. Clenching her jaw, Poppet flips over the final card, eyes drinking in the image laid before them.

Suddenly, she feels cheated, "What?!"

Poppet nearly shrieks, wrenching her arm back and dislodging Myne's hand in the process. The druid nearly falls off the bed as she jumps in surprise at Poppet's change in demeanor.

"Poppet? What is it? What's it mean?" she asks, looking over each detail of the card.

All things considered, Myne thought it was rather unassuming. An older man, a magic user of some kind, pointing at a page in an open book. And perhaps rather pragmatically, Myne knew that if she had to sacrifice one old man, or even better a book, to cure the land of whatever plagued it, she would do so without question. Glancing up at her friend, she realizes the sylph is no longer upset with fear, as she had been before. No, instead she looked angry, slighted, promised something only to have it ripped away at the last moment.

"The Hidden Truth?" Poppet tries to bring her voice to something of a reasonable level.

She's not sure she succeeds. She looks up to Myne, because surely Myne must agree that they've been done some kind of wrong! Only she doesn't, because she has no idea what the card before them means. Or that Milani has been playing the master illusionist behind the deck. She laughs, and is slightly alarmed at the maniacal edge to the sound.

"Forgive me," she tells Myne, forcing herself to calm.

She feels that she now knows how Alex felt last night, "It seems that you will not get an answer to this final question. What you must sacrifice in order to complete your quest will remain a mystery, I'm afraid."

She laughs again, and is relieved that the sound is somewhat back to normal, "Normally, the card would suggest you have to look deeper than the surface to discover something. But I'm afraid in this case, it means we will get no insight into your future."

Myne feels a little disappointed at the final card all of a sudden. After feeling the magic radiating from Poppet's hand, she was sure she was going to get some divine insight into her future.

 _Maybe_ , she thinks, _Poppet is just really good at selling the show. But no, I cannot think that poorly of a friend_.

Sighing, she gets up from the bed and stretches, shaking her head at the anticlimactic ending to such a strange experience, "Well, thanks anyways, Poppet. I know you didn't really want to do this, but I appreciate you indulging me," she says as she takes hold of Poppet's hand and gives a little squeeze.

She gives the other woman a grin and receives a sincere smile in return. She bids the sylph farewell before heading up to the deck to find Rauros, or maybe Roth, and blushes at the thought.

Still in their quarters, Poppet's gaze remains on the doorway Myne had disappeared through until she can no longer hear the druid's footsteps. Curling her shoulders in and wrapping her arms around her middle, Poppet looks at the spread again. She feels like she cannot pick up the cards from the spread quite yet, like she has not finished the harrowing yet. Her eyes slip to the remaining stack of plates, sitting in an unassuming stack on the bed against the wall. With a large sense of foreboding, Poppet reaches out her hand. She hesitates only briefly, acknowledging the flaring pulse of magic just out of reach of her fingertips before she flips the card on the top of the stack: The Cyclone. Pure dread shoots up her spine, causing Poppet to sit up ramrod straight. Breath caught in her throat, arm still hovering over the card where she dropped it, Poppet's gaze remains riveted to the image of destruction played out on the plate. Disaster. Unrelenting forces that will tear apart anything in their path, resulting in the machinations of intelligent beings.

It takes Poppet a long time before she can finally pick up the cards and pack them securely into the pouches at her waist. Longer yet to force her feet to lead her away from the room. She is surprised to find the sun sinking low in the sky when she arrives on the deck, the crew and her companions acting no different from normal. Looking at Myne and the carefree way she reacts to something Roth has told her from their position against the railing of the ship, Poppet thinks maybe she is taking things too seriously. She can hear Lo playing a lute somewhere, surely in the company of Tarian and Mastodon, and whatever female crew members were off-duty. Rauros has his paws supporting him on the railing, watching the waves roll past the side of the ship. Even Alex seems to have relaxed during her time below deck, taking a quick break in swabbing the deck to offer Poppet a small smile of what appears to be forgiveness. Raising a hand to the man, she tries to offer one back.

She turns to find a comfortable place to sit in the fresh air, to try and focus her thoughts once more. Finally, she makes her way to a secluded piece of railing, claims a spot atop one of the crates there, and folds her legs under herself. Breathing deeply, she briefly misses the dry winds on the desert, and her eyes slide shut as she pictures the sands of the village she grew up in. Feeling a small pair of feet land softly on one of her legs, Poppet opens her eyes to regard Ellete. She offers her familiar a small smile. Ellete's streak of seriousness seems to persist, however, as she looks up at Poppet.

"I am sorry for what is to come, Pari," the azata finally says softly, words nearly swallowed by the sounds of the waves and wind.

The laugh that comes from the sylph is a rather surprised sound, "There's a name I haven't heard in some time. And after today, why am I not surprised to find you know it?" she asks Ellete, smile easing onto her features.

Ellete's touch is comforting as she reaches out and places her hand on Poppet's arm, tracing the swirling blue marks momentarily, "We might not be able to control the winds before us, but at least we can adjust the sails and adapt," Ellete says.

Then she laughs, looking up at Poppet with a grin, "Well, at least _most_ of us can't control winds!"

Poppet lets out a joyous laugh as well, the weight lifting from her chest as the winds race past her.

She gives Ellete a conspiratorial look, "Let's see if we can get our hands on a bottle of wine, yeah? I feel like I need it after today."


	47. Voyage to Isidore: 5th of Desnus

**5th of Desnus: The Maw of Isidore**

 _ **The Stench of Evil**_

The group is five days from their drop-off point, and the ship begins to approach the waters around the mainland of Isidore's southwest coastline. The crew is noticeably on edge in Isidorian waters; they take extended hours on shift in case the worst should occur. There is a double watch on at all times in the crow's nest, and Kamara herself mans the wheel for the majority of the trip. She only allows others to take over for a break to eat and sleep briefly. Even Coronal is sterner, usually seen standing stalwartly next to his wife as she steers the ship into dangerous waters.

The group does their best to make use of their time on the ship by either preparing for their eventual landfall or aiding the crew and captain in watching out for threats. Poppet and Myne are making potions on deck in the sun, talking quietly to each other about their exploits as they carefully stir their mixtures. Alex and Roth are on deck, Alex standing at the ready near the captain and Roth standing near the main mast and keeping an eye out on the starboard side of the ship. Lo and Mastodon are in the cabin areas, with Lo practicing a new lute song and Mastodon eating in the mess hall. Tarian is up in the crow's nest with Kelfein and Delqwyn, enjoying the view both in the crow's nest and out of it.

Roth stands somewhat in a guard stance in the center of the ship, switching his attentions at various intervals. The sky is a clear blue, nothing on the horizon off the starboard side of the ship; Myne gives a little squeal as her potion apparently did something it was supposed to do while Poppet gives her a nod of encouragement. Nothing on the horizon off the port side of the ship; at the helm Alex gives Kamara and Coronal some words of advice on Anian diplomacy, and up in the crow's nest he hears a giggle from Kelfein as Tarian says something funny.

His quiet attentions are suddenly disrupted by a sudden shadow that looms over the entire ship. He reels as he takes in a noxious odor that is so disgusting that it sickens him. It is so overwhelming that he could not concentrate; through the horrid fumes he tries to draw his bow in case of a threat, and he sees that those around him are suffering from the smell as well. Myne and Poppet give a gasp, and Roth sees that they are focusing their attentions on something that is behind him. He slowly turns, and sees that a large, amphibious-looking creature is looming, seemingly appearing out of thin air. The fiend's armored flesh is scaly and moist. Its large, toothy mouth gapes below a pair of hungry, reptilian eyes. Roth lets out a gasp, which he regrets when he takes in a large amount of the creature's heinous stench. He coughs, trying to extricate it from his lungs in desperation.

Poppet casts Mage Armor on Alex and then tries to get as far away from the stench as possible, backing up to the helm of the ship. Roth knows he must escape the creature if he hopes to be able to regain his senses. He sprints away from the creature towards the bow of the ship and then takes a shot at it with his compound longbow and hits. Up in the crow's nest, the trio are spared from the fumes, so Tarian hides, and then tries to take a surprise shot on the beast. His second shot hits, and he tries to take a quick assessment of what the creature might be, but cannot categorize it. From below deck, Lo and Mastodon hear a commotion above them, and cautiously make their way up to the deck. Alex leaps off the helm and sprints to the creature with his sword drawn, sensing evil from the horrid creature that he watched pop into existence behind Roth. He casts Smite on the outsider, and brings his sword down for one heavy blow, doing massive damage as the creature screeches from his holy strike. It lashes out at him, biting Alex and trying to grab him with his jaws, and succeeds in pulling Alex into its mouth. The creature then claws viciously at Alex, landing blows with both claws. Myne tries to determine what the creature is, but she feels out of her league; it did not seem like a normal beast in the wild, and the way Alex reacts to it tells her the creature is evil. She turns into a grizzly bear, and she and Rauros charge in to claw at it.

Up in the crow's nest, Kelfein shouts down, "Ships on the horizon!"

Those that can spare a glance starboard see ships cresting the horizon from the east, from Isidore. Poppet summons a medium lightning elemental to aid in the fight, but the elemental misses its strike. Roth takes aim and hits with two arrows, while Tarian takes aim and hits with his crossbow. Lo reaches the deck, and his head swims as he takes in the fumes being created by the creature that the group is engaged with. He rushes towards Roth on the bow to get out of the creature's stench radius and begins to sing Inspire Confidence for the group. Mastodon also rushes up to the deck, and holds his lunch down as he rushes towards the disgusting creature, and swings with his great sword, hitting it with one blow. Alex, halfway in the creature's mouth, tries to extricate himself, but his armor seems to be stuck on the creature's teeth. With his free arm, he tries to make a stab at the creature but cannot cut through the thick hide. The demon lets out a gurgle, crunches its body inward and then in a rush throws its arms out to cast a bursting spell that sends out a multicolored explosion of leaping, ricocheting energy, hitting Alex and Myne with the energy and slowing them down while the rest of the group seems to not be affected by the chaotic burst. Suddenly, Poppet hears a high-pitched whistle sound and turns in time to see a cannonball streaking towards her. She manages to narrowly dodge the strike, and the ball punches into the deck of the ship where she was standing. Angered by the evil creature, Myne decides to bring down the power of her own deity, and casts Flame Strike, sending a ray of divine light and power at the creature. It manages to dodge some of the ray's powers, but still suffers from the powerful spell. Meanwhile, Rauros manages to connect with the creature, but at the price of also hitting Alex with the other claw.

Poppet casts Cure Serious Wounds on the paladin, who was taking the brunt of the damage from being stuck in the creature's mouth. Ellete casts Cure Light Wounds on Alex, and the elemental swings and misses. Roth fires off three arrows but only one manages to penetrate the creature's hide while Tarian also hits with one shot from the crow's nest. Lo casts Blind on the creature, and it succeeds, but both of Mastodon's swings with his great sword miss. Alex gives up on being able to escape the creature's mouth, deciding to focus all his energy on a strike. He stabs at the side of the creature's head, landing a heavy blow that makes the creature growl with pain. In anger, the creature casts Blasphemy, causing dread amongst the group, weakening their ability to fight. Only Ellete and Myne are able to fend off the feelings of dread and push on, while Tarian was luckily out of range. They hear another whistle, and another cannonball crashes into the main mast of the ship, sending the crow's nest and all its inhabitants crashing to the deck. Tarian manages to do a dive and roll as the crow's nest topples, but once he hits the ground he feels the sickening effect of the creature's stench. Luckily, both Kelfein and Delqwyn are able to escape from the crow's nest without too much harm done as well. From the helm, Kamara screams at the damage to her ship and crew, and trying to keep hold of the wheel with the sudden loss of sails. The group also manages to avoid the falling mass and rigging as it crashes into the deck with all the bitterness of déjà vu. It is enough to throw off the claws and jaws of Myne and Rauros, who miss completely.

Poppet and Roth are dazed, and Tarian makes a move out of the creature's stench radius and then takes a called shot to each arm that hit. Lo, Mastodon, and Alex are dazed, and the demon bites down on Alex, crunching down on him and then clawing at Mastodon, hitting him once. The sound of another whizzing cannonball invades their ears, and the group has a moment where time stands still. They watch, paralyzed, as the cannonball punches through the hull of the ship: right into the munitions room. Above the munitions room on the bow of the ship, Roth manages to anticipate the explosion and dives off the bow. Lo is not so lucky. The ensuing explosion blasts apart the bow, tossing Lo into the air. As one, the group has a sharp intake of breath as huge splinters of wood, the shock wave from the blast, and the fireball from the munitions going up hits them. Roth takes some damage from the shrapnel, but it is Lo that everyone keeps their eyes on. Luckily the thrust of the blast throws him onto the middle of the deck, and his unconscious body comes to a rest at Poppet's feet. Myne does her best to keep the creature distracted from possible prey, and both she and Rauros claw and bite at it with ferocity.

From the helm, they hear Kamara's voice strain with shock, anger, and desperation, "We need to get the fuck out of here, right now!"

Roth, knowing what the original plan was, and seeing Alex chest-deep in the creature, shouts back, "What do you suggest?!"

Kamara begins to turn the wheel and shouts, "We're turning away, we'll head south; the ship can't take much more of this!"

The group sees the torn bow of the ship begin to turn away from the Isidorian coast, putting the enemy ships at their backs as the wind catches the remaining sails again.

To aid their escape, Poppet sends the lightning elemental out across the water to attack the enemy ships, if nothing else it would be a distraction. She then kneels to tend to Lo, casting Cure Serious Wounds on him and bringing him back to consciousness. She shakes her head at him in a mixture of shock and relief; the bard had been inches from death. Roth fires another set of arrows, hitting the creature once while Tarian's two shots ricochet off the beast's hide. Lo gets to his feet, and without skipping a beat picks up his song again, although he slowly backs away to a protected corner of the ship at the same time. Mastodon lands one blow with his great sword, and Alex misses with his swing. The creature bites down hard on Alex again, and claws at Mastodon, hitting him once. The group cowers as they hear the whistle of another cannonball, and then the crunching and cracking noise as it blasts another hole in the hull. Myne and Rauros rip through the creature with claws and jaws again.

Poppet casts a healing hex on Alex, trying to regain some of the blood that he lost in the creature's mouth while Roth lines up and hits the creature twice, the second shot going right through the creature's eye socket. With a gurgle the creature topples backward, landing in a disgusting scaly pile on the deck.

Kamara shouts out, "Toss that thing overboard, now!"

With her jaws, Myne carefully grabs hold of Alex's legs and pulls him out of the creature's mouth, and then hacks and spits as she tries to get the stench and taste of the creature out of her mouth. Roth and Tarian rush forward in the hopes of retrieving arrows. When they all step back from the creature, Mastodon effortlessly takes hold of it and throws it off the ship with a grunt.

 _ **Magical Ship Repairs and Strange Fog**_

The crew and group begin to take stock of the damage with Kamara barking orders from the helm. She first commands every extra bit of weight to be thrown overboard, and Mastodon aids by hauling the broken cannon out of the remnants of the munitions room and tossing it overboard. Since the ship was not carrying cargo, there was little else that could be spared other than the remnants of the ship that could not be salvaged for reuse or repair. Kamara then commands damages to the hull to be assessed as well as putting out fires from the explosion. Poppet steps forward to handle the fires, casting Breeze-Kissed to smother the flames while Myne returns to her normal form and rushes below deck to assess the damage to the hull. She finds a few cannonball-shaped holes in the hull with some water gushing in from them. She casts Warp Wood to reform the holes, and then with the help of Roth and Mastodon they bail out the water, using some of the water to put out any little flames that Poppet's spell may have missed and to clean off the lingering stench and goo on Alex.

The ship continues its bearing, heading due south with the enemy ships keeping pace behind them. They were making progress, but it had only been an hour since the ships began firing on them to now. Alex borrows a spyglass and takes a closer look at their pursuants. Just as he had expected, he sees the flag of Isidore flying from the masts. He sighs, knowing that their plan would be altered since they could not even come close to the Isidorian coast without being attacked.

He sighs and thinks, _What now?_

As if on cue, a fog picks up around the ship, and soon the entire ship is surrounded, making it impossible to see in any direction. They can barely see their companions standing next to them, let alone off the ship. The sounds of cannon fire behind them begins to quiet as if they were drifting further and further away, and soon there is only silence, but for the creaking of the ship and light splashing of waves against its hull. It is eerily quiet, and they no longer hear the cannon fire from the enemy ships.

Tarian calls out, "Poppet, is it magical?"

Poppet, meanwhile, is trying her best to comfort Ellete, who feels the magical energy in the fog, and it so strong that it disrupts her ability to think. Ellete sits on Poppet's shoulder with her arms wrapped around herself and rocking back and forth.

Poppet shouts out, "Most definitely, and it is extremely strong!"

Alex senses no evil, but the magical presence is so powerful that they still fear an attack. The group prepares for the worst, remembering the attack from the _Lady Sedna_. After fifteen minutes or so of intense fog and silence, it begins to clear. They can see further ahead of them, and in another minute or so they emerge into the sunlight with a strange island in the distance. At first, they wonder if the ship turned itself around and they are facing Isidore again, until Myne shouts out that she sees something tall, taller than any tree reaching up to the sky. It looks man-made, and Ellete senses more magic in the direction of the island. Alex does not detect evil, and the group begins to weigh their options. It was as if they had come out of the fog in a different place, and with the ship in dire need of repairs the island was an enticing next step.


	48. Paradise Lost & Found: 5th of Desnus

**5th of Desnus: A Tower That Pierces**

 _ **Scouting the Island**_

With the _Duchess of Wati_ ailing from the cannonball barrage, and their pursuers mysteriously gone, the island becomes their best option for rest and repair. The group stand together at the helm with Captain Kamara and Coronal weighing their options for how to scout the island.

Roth speaks up when they are all gathered, saying with his arms crossed, "Well, how do we want to do this?"

Myne keeps her eyes to the floor as she speaks up, "I am willing to scout. I could fly out and take a look at things and come back. I could even carry Roth or Alex with me if that is the preference-"

Alex immediately shouts, "No!"

Lo speaks up and says, "Well if Ellete senses magic on the island, someone magical could go with Myne...take Poppet and the two of you could go…"

Alex again refuses the suggestion as a possibility, and gives a rebuttal, "We should take the rowboats and scout that way…"

As they talk, Kamara takes a despairing look at the gaping hole in the deck where the munitions room went up, and gives herself the luxury of a little cry at the loss before she pulls herself back together.

Seeing the state of the captain, Roth chimes in and says, "We might not want to leave the ship unprotected…" he winces from a bruised rib and continues, "and some of us are ailing from the fight… and what if we are attacked on the island?"

Myne speaks up again and says, "Rauros and I could stay behind to protect the ship if that is your wish. We are doing okay, and I still have some magical power left, should the ship get attacked."

Alex shakes his head again at Myne's suggestion, and Roth sighs as he begins to lose his patience with the disgruntled paladin. Alex in turn was increasingly agitated at the thought of Myne being left behind, and despite his outward gruffness towards her, he simply did not want her to be left alone to fend for herself. He had to admit that the girl was tough, and probably could handle it, but the thought of losing Sara still brought him an extreme amount of heartache, and he refused to lose Myne as well. It would be too much. He found himself increasingly fighting back when Myne tried to extend herself.

The group begins to talk over each other about their strategy, and Alex is relieved when Roth's patience reaches its tether and he shouts, "That's enough! We're all going!"

Kamara speaks up at this decree and adds, "Coronal, you and three of the crew will accompany the group ashore. We need an assessment of the island, and whether or not there are resources available to repair the ship."

Coronal gives a grumble and protests that he is not suited for that kind of work. Kamara scowls and threatens him with either going off to scout the shore for supplies or being put to work on patching up the ship.

Coronal tilts his head and thinks for a moment when Kamara throws in, "Oh, you probably don't have the balls to explore an island unknown to us…and I suppose if you find anything interesting it could be yours to keep…"

Without hesitation, Coronal bows and says, "My lady, you can count on Coronal L. Griffith III to see this task done," and then runs off to prep a dinghy and to look for volunteers.

Alex casts Lay on Hands on Roth, healing his wounds before they all board two dinghies and drop into the clear, shallow waters around the island. Pristine sand greets them as they haul the dinghies up on the shore, careful to give the boats plenty of distance up the beach for the tide.

Myne looks around with a sigh as she takes in the island and says, "There are so many undocumented islands around Isidore… this could be any number of them."

She takes a closer look at the trees in the dense forest ahead and continues, "But something is not right, this forest seems much more tropical than Isidore's latitude would allow."

Coronal begins barking orders at the three sailors that came ashore with him, and they begin to fan out, but keep to the shoreline.

Roth looks at the group and says, "What's the plan for us? Head for the tower?"

The group nods in agreement, and they shoulder their packs and begin heading for the tree line.

 _ **The Forest's Secrets**_

They step into the forest, and take in the change of environment from the beach. The air is thick, almost stuffy with the heat and humidity in the air. Their shirts almost instantly become wet and sticky from their sweat, and they take slow deep breaths to try to adjust. There is lush green vegetation everywhere, and they hear the squawks and chirps of exotic birds at every level of the forest. They begin to push further in, and spot something in the overgrowth. They pull away leaves and vines and what they first took to be a tree stump turns out to be a section of worked stone. Lo and Tarian are sure that it is manmade, and very old. When they look around, they see more remnants of the worked stone hiding behind the overgrowth. The sense of foreboding that the group had felt when they first glimpsed the tower was beginning to increase as they look at the stones. Myne begins to feel concerned for the group's safety, and who or what else might be on the island with them, so she decides to try to speak with the local fauna.

She sees a black bird with a brightly colored bill land on a nearby tree, so she approaches it carefully and then speaks to it with chirps and chitters, saying, "Hello to you. You must fly far on the island and know much. What can you tell me about the… um… tall tree further in?"

The bird eyes her with interest, and says, "Tallest tree? Tallest tree has nesting birds, lots of friends."

Myne tries to figure out the best way to describe a magical tower to a bird and tries again, "Can you tell me about the tall stone tree?"

The bird seems to understand and says, "Ah, stone tree, nothing, we don't go in. We nest on top though."

Myne thinks some more and says, "Are there more like us," here she points to herself and the group, and continues with, "more on two legs?"

The bird turns its head at her and says, "More on two legs? Yes, tall on two legs. Don't move though."

Myne nods with understanding, and turns to the group who are staring at Myne with mixed looks of confusion, fascination, and concern at seeing her squawking and chirping at the bird.

She says to the group, "Okay guys, so the tower seems to be deserted; there are huge statues though, according to this nice bird here."

She turns back to the bird, not noticing the looks she is receiving and says, "What is further in the forest? Is there any danger?"

The bird gives a little flap and says, "Snakes can surprise, and large cats!"

Myne nods, expecting some local predators and asks, "Is there anywhere on the island you are afraid to go?"

The bird flaps again and says, "Some danger, further in. Danger comes out of nowhere. We don't go there."

This seems to puzzle Myne, until she thinks about the demons that they have encountered, and how they would appear from another dimension through a portal.

She then asks, "Where do you get food and water?"

The bird chirps enthusiastically and says, "We get good food under soft logs, you want some, I can show you. And there is water near stone tree."

Myne thanks the bird for speaking with her, and gives it some of the dried fruit from her rations before it flutters away. As the bird disappears into the tree line, she warns the group about the potential for magical creatures or demons, and about the local predators. The group seems to get over the shock of seeing their druid talking with the wildlife, and decides to take the bird's advice with all seriousness.

The group pushes further into the dense forest, seeing more worked stone pieces sticking out from the overgrowth at various intervals. Some look like larger structures jutting out of the tree line. More and more, they get the impression that these structures have been there for a very long time. Suddenly, they emerge into a clearing and feel a solid brick pathway under their feet with the tangled undergrowth poking through at various intervals, trying to take back the civilization. Ahead, they see a massive wall, covered in creeping vines that had pushed through cracks and crevices in the stonework. The path directs them towards an arched open gate in the wall: a 30-foot-high circular portal. With some trepidation, they approach the portal, and cautiously examine what lies beyond it. When Tarian examines the stonework, he comments that based on the rate of decay, the moisture, and plant life, these structures were at least a couple thousand years old.

Roth carefully approaches the open gateway, and peers in. He sees a long sloping tunnel leading down, and they all agree to head inside. Tarian takes the lead, and Roth follows after him with the rest of the group behind the two elves. They descend into a large rectangular room. The walls and floor were made of the same worked stone that they saw outside, and the floor is covered in a soft layer of fine sand that must have been accumulating undisturbed for many years. On each wall is a painted mural depicting a city in its prime. One depicts armed and uniformed men, another shows the horizon, while above it an object is falling out of the sky. On the east wall, the mural depicts a map of a city with three concentric circles divided by canals of water. On the west wall, the mural depicts a leader speaking to the people wearing all white. He is wearing a headband imprinted with a pair of familiar, sinister eyes.

Tarian carefully takes in the murals: the slightly darker skin tones of the people, and the time period marked by their clothing, and says out loud that they must be portrayals of the Azlanti people, and the falling object depicted in one of the murals must be the Starstone itself falling from the sky. They each give a pause when they see the image of the headband with the eyes: they have encountered those eyes before on several members of the Organization. The image of the giant mask in Eremine's tower also comes to mind, and they immediately associate it with Abaddon, the evil god that seemed to be making an appearance in the world when he should be dead, or at least dormant. On the other end of the room they see another tunnel leading up in the opposite direction from where they had entered, and they decide to continue on.

 _ **In Ruins**_

As expected, the opposing tunnel leads up at the same slope as when they came down on the other side, and when they emerge onto the surface they find themselves standing on the outer edges of an ancient city in ruins. The whole city is before them, and they realize that they are looking at the city from which the map in the room below was drawn: they see the circular shape of the city, divided into three rings by canals, and at the center is a tower so tall it seems to scrape the sky. They stand in the outermost ring, and see that the buildings in this area are in bad shape: they were made of wood and thatch and are either collapsed or deteriorating. What is still standing is distinguishable as dwellings, probably for the city's poor or common classes. Closer to the center of the city, more of the buildings seem to be in tact; their construction looks to be made of more stone than wood and thatch. At the very center, the tower itself is magnificent in faded grey-brown stone. It stretches towards the sky, taller than the tower at Avalon; taller than anything any of them had ever seen before.

They begin to make their way through the city, finding a path through the ruins, always with the goal of coming closer to the tower. They reach the canals, marking the first of the rings that separates the districts. The water in the canals is crystal clear, and they spot a covered bridge to cross the canal into the next district. The place is extremely peaceful; they hear the occasional chirps of nesting birds all around them, but there are no signs of intelligent life amongst the wild that is creeping back into the civilization. They sense no evil in the city, but the air is thick with magic. The covered bridge that will take them to the next district is made of stone bricks, and they see a pod of fish swimming underneath it. It adds to their sense of confidence that the place held no dangers for them, and they step onto the bridge, eager to continue towards the tower. At the center of the bridge, they see statues of human-like figures in armor. They are dusty and dirty, and they see that there were other statues that have been reduced to rubble with the passage of time. Despite their feeling of safety, Tarian steps in front of the group to go first and test for traps. When he steps towards the end of the bridge, entering the second district, he senses a trap built into the brickwork. He uses his lockpicking set to disable the mechanisms, and he finds a nozzle that sprays Insanity Mist. They thank Tarian for his talents in disabling traps, and step into the second ring of the city.

The buildings seem to be more intact than what they had seen in the outer ring, however they do see two walled towers that have been smashed and shaken off their foundation, and tall spires that have been reduced to rubble, smashed apart in the road. There are buildings of stone in this district, with wooden roofs showing decay. They notice that the road they are walking on is gradually sloping up, allowing the water in the canals to drain out to the outer sections from the center. They make their way through the district that seems to have held merchants and other middle-class establishments, and soon find themselves at the canal that separates the middle ring from the center ring. They find another covered stone bridge, and this time there are two stone columns that flank the bridge, with statues that resemble female warriors holding long spears; their stance suggests that they are protecting the bridge. Cautiously, Tarian approaches the statues, ready for anything, feeling the brickwork for traps, but he senses nothing. They creep past the statues, and to their surprise nothing happens; the statues stay in place, silently gazing at them from their stone eyes.

Inside the third ring, there are many more buildings intact, and less rubble in the streets. The wood is decaying and the metal is eroding, but the rest of the structures have maintained their facades far better. In the very center of this final ring sits the massive tower, and they look on in awe at its size, and then look around for how to access it. There is a canal that completely encircles it, and they spot a small bridge leading over the canal as the only clear access point. They make their way to the bridge, and look into the canal where they see steam issuing up; in the canal, they see boiling water just a couple feet below the road. The sight is somewhat unnerving, owing to the fact that they can see no reason for how the canal could be put under enough heat to make the water boil. It gives them pause as they look at the tiny bridge, and Tarian volunteers to go first. He takes one step onto the bricks that separate the bridge from the road, and immediately steps back as he senses a mechanical trap.

He looks out to the center pillar that rises up from the boiling canal, and then back at his companions and says, "It's a pivot! You put weight on this end and the other side will tip up, dumping you into the canal!"

He looks around the brickwork until he finds where the mechanism can be disabled, and with a few moments of fidgeting with the gearbox he steps away, confident that the danger is neutralized. He and Roth still decide to step across first, and once they see the way is safe, the rest follow behind the two.

 _ **The Tower that Pierces the Sky**_

When they step off the bridge and stand before the tower in all its glory, they strain their necks to see the top of it. The main entrance is a massive doorway set into the base with giant stained-glass windows on either side. Each of them must be 80 feet tall, and they depict figures in robes walking down a path. Each figure transitions slightly from black robes to paler grey until the last figure stands in all white. The doorway itself is also white, and shut. They approach the doorway carefully, and Tarian tests the door, finding it locked. He had counted on this, so he examines the door minutely, finding a complex mechanism holding the lock in place. He realizes that the device is also magical, and manages to work his way through the lock's challenges, confidently disarming the lock with a self-satisfied smile. He then tries to push at the 80-foot-tall door, and realizes the sheer mass of it is also keeping it resolutely closed to him. The rest of the group steps forward, with Alex, Mastodon, and Rauros putting the brunt of their strength behind the door while the rest of the group merely adds momentum to the push that heaves the door open.

Tarian takes the first step into the massive entryway that looks as though it has been undisturbed for centuries. The ceiling is as high as the doorway and windows, and sunlight pours into the room from every direction in multi-colored panels. On the floor, they see murals engraved in the stone depicting black-hooded and robed figures. In the center of the room is a large platform in the shape of a pyramid with steps leading up. At the top of the pyramid they crane to see white marble and some kind of flat disc resting on top of it. At the base of the steps is another mural engraved in the floor, this one depicting a figure with no facial features other than the eyes.

Alex whispers, "I still sense no evil in this place…"

With nothing else in the room save the pyramid, they decide to carefully take the steps to investigate what might be at the top. Tarian approaches first, carefully examining the six-foot-wide white disc that is set into the marble. He takes out a handful of coffee beans from his bag, and a couple scatter down the stairs to land at the base of the stairs near the rest of his companions that are craning to see what he is doing. He carefully places a coffee bean on the disc to see the effect, carefully looking to see if there is a change. At the base of the stairs, the coffee beans startle Roth and Myne, who turn as one to look behind them to watch the beans bounce past. They also see that the doorway through which they had entered is mysteriously gone, replaced with a solid piece of marble. Ellete is also grabbing at Poppet's scarves to get her attention, panicked out of her mind at the amount of magic in the room, and the fact that their only egress has just vanished. Roth walks over and inspects the blank wall where the door had been, and touches the cool stone carefully. Myne throws a coffee bean at it to see if it breaks an illusion or damages the bean, but it bounces back harmlessly.

Roth and Myne exchange a worried look as Tarian shouts down that the disc may be some kind of teleportation device, unaware that they are now trapped. Resolute, Alex takes the steps up the pyramid two at a time, aware of their situation. He breathes deeply, and shuts his eyes as he pushes past the kneeling Tarian, and steps onto the disc, expecting the worst. What Tarian sees is Alex standing there looking like he might explode, but he notices that the disc begins to glow faintly at Alex's feet. Tarian looks curiously at Alex, and joins him on the disc. It glows a little brighter by his presence. The rest of the group joins Tarian and Alex at the top of the pyramid at their shouts of discovery, and they each step onto the disc, aware that with each companion that joins the disc glows brighter.

When Myne steps on, she says a little prayer to Gozreh and mumbles, "We are all gunna die."

Rauros is the last to join them on the disc, squeezing his huge furry frame onto the last piece of available real estate on the disc, and in response the disc glows with a blinding pure white light, and then lifts up off the base. It slowly elevates them up towards the ceiling, with the group holding tight to each other to keep from falling as they rise. They see a round hole in the ceiling that admits the disc perfectly, and it carefully continues to rise through a strange vertical tube covered in glowing blue runes. After some time in this tube, the disc finally comes to a gentle halt when it emerges through another opening. They see that they are looking down a simply decorated hallway, and as Tarian takes the first step off the disc, he feels the crushing power of magic on his body. He shudders as he feels the magic pull at his abilities, weakening him in every way; he reels from the feeling of tiredness and the numbness in his mind. The rest of the group watches Tarian take these effects, but without having any way out, they step forward to take the effects as well. With each step forward, the magical force of the hallway beats upon each of the companions, and they struggle to deal with the overwhelming feeling of being drained of their very life force.

 _ **Alchemy and Altars**_

The group looks down the shadowy hallway. The walls are illuminated by glowing, light-grey crystals set in them.

Roth mumbles in awe, "I wonder if the crystals might be of Starstone material...Or some similar power that could account for the weakness we are feeling…"

Lo examines the crystals closely, "They are not made of the Starstone or black stone substances. They are certainly magical in nature, however."

He decides to try a bit of bravado and sings to one of the crystals, trying to evoke a reaction, but nothing is forthcoming. The crystals continue to glow, and the group continues to feel the oppressive power of the place.

Tarian steps forward, minutely inspecting the walls and the crystals while talking to himself, "Perhaps we can find a way to change the frequency of the magic that the crystals are giving off," but cannot find any way to do so.

Myne wonders out loud, "Those runes that we saw on the way up to this floor...where in Nordost they could be?"

Tarian turns to her and says, "The runes looked the same as those we have seen on some of the other documents and stonework: ancient Azlanti, but this tower is unknown to me."

They stand quietly, each of them trying to adjust to the magic in the place when some of the group prick up their ears as they hear mechanical sounds coming from within the walls. It sounds like a faint clicking and ticking, as if gears and other objects are working in harmony behind the walls.

Tarian, being one of the group that hears the sounds, carefully takes the lead as he explains what he is hearing to the group, "It is quite likely that whatever is working behind the walls is not just there to make noise. I do not want to be taken off guard by some trap."

They set out down the hallway; each of them has resigned themselves to whatever fate the tower would hold for them since they had no immediate escape. The hallway opens to a large room filled with solid-looking broad tables that look like they were used for alchemy. It looks as though something had destroyed most of the room; there were tables that were turned over, on the floor there were shards of glass from what were likely vials and flasks. Something had rampaged through the room.

The group takes a closer look at the composition of the room past the mess, and they see smooth stone flooring in large blocks, a mix of marbled colors in greys, whites, and browns. Despite the mess, the room gives off an air of opulence. Roth takes the time to try to study the debris, hoping to pick up recognizable footprints. Tarian looks around through the scattered papers and books, but does not find anything useful. He considers taking stock of any alchemical equipment or potions, but does not see anything salvageable. He shrugs his shoulders at the lack of valuables and heads for the door on the other side of the room. When he reaches the stone door, he notices writing inscribed on it in ancient Azlanti. It takes him a few minutes, but he manages to decipher the script as a mathematical riddle:

 _Last week I traveled from Absalom to Diobel._

 _On the first day, I traveled half the distance;_

 _On the second day, I traveled one third of the remaining distance;_

 _On the third day, I traveled three quarters of the remaining distance;_

 _On the fourth day, I traveled one half of the remaining distance;_

 _I have five miles left to travel._

 _What is the total distance of the trip?_

The group begins to ponder, and Poppet scratches out some numbers on a piece of parchment while Lo draws a scale. Poppet voices her guess, but without much confidence.

Lo takes a little more time and voices the answer, "It is 120 miles."

The runes on the door glow, and the stone door slides open.

The group turns to regard Lo, who smiles and says, "It is a simple problem when drawn on a scale," here he shows the group his piece of parchment with the scale and the series of numbers and continues, "See, I make the scale the full trip, cut it in half, then cut the second half into thirds, then cut the last two thirds into quarters, then cut three quarters in half again. In that last section is our five miles, then work out from there!"

Beyond the door is another hallway similar to the first, with the same glowing stones set into the walls at intervals. It takes a 90-degree corner, and the group continue down the hallway. They notice some more Azlanti runes on the wall; however, these look different, as if they have been hastily and inexpertly scratched into the surface instead of carefully carved.

Tarian carefully reads the scrawl out loud, _The goddess in the sky has abandoned us._

The group each wear confused expressions, wondering what goddess the message could be referring to, and Myne speaks up, "Remember the stories that we have been collecting about Abbadon the god of darkness and evil, the opposing force to Eden, the goddess of light and good. We have been fed two sides of the story, one seems to be distorted by Kyus."

They reach a smaller room at the end of the hallway, and inside they find what appears to be a shrine: there are kneeling pads for prayer, and at the front of the room to the right there is the shrine itself. There is a featureless mask save for the eyes, and the mask is wrapped in chains that have been set into the floor. In front of the mask is a raised ledge where they can see silver and copper coins piled, as if in offering. Tarian approaches carefully, and senses traps. He carefully pulls out his tools and begins working on an area near the mask. He knows the trap is magical, and coming from the stone mask itself (likely an Inflict Wound trap), but he is confident that he has managed to disarm it. With the trap neutralized, Tarian takes a closer look at the ledge full of coins and the altar to see if he can discern anything else, and as he does so Alex is reaching back in his religious teachings to see if he can recall anything to signify the meaning of the altar.

Alex says, "I cannot place the meaning of this from my teachings. We have more understanding from the texts that we have found so far; Milon Yestare's translations of ancient Azlanti texts discuss how Eden trapped Abaddon, but it never says how she did it...we just know it was the Azlanti that were somehow involved."

Tarian meanwhile finds the coins to be of Azlanti origin, and as he reaches out to them Myne shouts, "Don't touch!"

She carefully approaches the altar, and places a coin of her own on the altar, hoping to add any aid or power to the altar, whose purpose was obvious to her: it was a tribute to Eden's attempt to trap and diminish the evil power of Abaddon. She kneels and says a quiet prayer for Eden, the force of good that might be listening. When she averts her eyes, Tarian makes an attempt to push some of the coins into his bag, but Ellete spots his attempt and screams in alarm, fluttering over to him and pounding on the back of his hand with her tiny fists. Myne and Alex shout at Tarian to put the coins back; none of the group but Ellete had seen him actually get some of the coins into his bag. Tarian knew that each one was worth about ten times the value of the coin because of their age. Tarian pulls some of the coins out of his bag and replaces them on the altar, insisting that he put them all back. Alex and Myne are not convinced that he is being truthful, and begin to argue with the elf to put the rest of the coins back or risk some kind of repercussion to the group, or at least to himself.

Mastodon steps in front of Tarian to shield him and says, "Look, it is not worth the fight for us to linger here. Let's be off, this altar is nothing."

Roth, being an elf that had little patience for the deeper parts of religion, found the act of leaving or taking coins to be futile and superstitious. He pushes past the group and heads for the door on the opposite side from where they had entered. He sees a simple wooden door that shows no sign of age, and the argument dissolves as they watch the elf approach the door. Seeing that Alex and Myne were giving up their grudge, Tarian turns and heads toward the door to see if there are traps. He steps in front of Roth, and listens closely at the door while Alex and Myne hang as far back as they can from the rogue, glaring at his back in silent protest. Tarian does not hear or sense anything amiss, and opens to door to reveal another long hallway with a 90-degree turn.

 _ **Faith's Trial**_

The group turns the corner at the end of the hallway, and are immediately confronted with a sheer wall, about 30 feet high. Tarian takes the lead, and cautiously examines the wall, and sees that there are tiny grooves in the wall, as if giving the wall tiny handholds. Ellete flutters up the wall to scout, and with her head peeking over the top of the ledge, she shouts down to the group that there is just more hallway and a set of ascending stairs. Seeing that the coast seems relatively clear, Tarian makes the first attempt to scale the wall by throwing up his grappling hook. He manages to get the hook to catch on the ledge, and successfully climbs up after a couple false starts. The rest of the group follows suit, some taking more than one attempt to make the steep and arduous climb to the top. Lastly, they hoist Rauros up, and after catching their breath they make for the stairs.

At the top, they see more shadowy, glowing crystals set into the walls of a large room. In the center is a 12-foot-tall figure. He looks like an elf, with a long and lean body, and a narrow face, but the rest is something else. His face and hands are covered with glowing tattoos in a pattern of straight lines that turn sharp corners, and his eyes have a faint metallic sheen. He is clothed in a robe that seems to have a metallic sheen to it as well, and it covers most of the figure's body save for his head and hands.

He lifts his head up as they step further into the room and with a booming voice in common tongue says, "Proceed forward."

The sound does not come from the figure, but rather it seems to emanate from the room itself. Mastodon does not trust the invitation, but tries to work out if the figure means to harm them. He can only conclude that the figure wishes them to approach.

They do so, with Tarian in the lead, and as they stand in front of the figure, the voice booms out again, "Welcome travelers from a distant land. I am Faith. Before you can ascend further, I will test you."

The tall figure eyes them each in turn as he recites a riddle:

 _What does man love more than life?_

 _Fear more than death or mortal strife?_

 _What do poor men have and the rich require?_

 _What does the contented man desire?_

 _What does the miser spend and the spendthrift save?_

 _What do all men carry to their graves?_

Without hesitation, Alex speaks up, "Nothing."

The figure turns its face to Alex and says, "Very well-done Paladin. Now I must test your principle."

As he says this, he pulls out a whip, and gives it a crack over their heads.

Lo nods approvingly and in awe as he says, "That has some nice recoil!"

The group readies for battle, trying to draw weapons and find a good place to stand. Poppet casts Enlarge Person on Mastodon before Faith lashes out the whip again, and as the tip snaps, it unleashes chaotic power in a multicolored explosion of energy that Rauros and Alex are not able to dodge. Roth fires two shots at Faith while Alex manages to connect with one of the swings of his sword. Myne casts Flame Strike, and Rauros charges forward, slashing at the figure with one claw. Mastodon's swings miss entirely, and Lo backs up and casts Tiny Hut around himself, hiding his location from Faith. Tarian tries to get the measure of this being, but all he can manage to figure out is that the being is not a construct, nor is it a magical being. He shouts this out to the group, and then runs into the hut with Lo to try to get an advantage on firing arrows from within the hut.

Seeing Alex take damage from the explosion, Poppet casts Cure Moderate Wounds on him. Faith takes a big breath, and then spews a cone of fire towards the group, blasting Rauros, Lo, and Poppet directly, while Mastodon manages to dodge the brunt of the flames. Roth manages to hit Faith with one arrow while Alex swings and misses with his sword. Seeing her bear taking a beating, Myne casts Cure Light Wounds on Rauros, energizing him to take a swing at Faith. Mastodon gets one heavy blow in with his great sword while Lo begins playing his Inspire Courage song from the tent. Tarian takes a Called Shot, aiming for the glowing patterns on Faith's hand and finds his mark. Faith clenches at his wounded hand, clearly affected by the direct hit.

Seeing how tall Faith is, and how close the ceiling is to him, Ellete decides to cast Air Geyser. Faith is unable to dodge the blast of air that picks him up, smacks him against the ceiling, cracking it from the impact, and then drops him to the floor in a heap. Those closest to him manage to leap out of the way before he crumples in a crash on the floor.

Faith pushes himself up to a kneeling position and says, "Well fought. Your conviction is strong. You may proceed."

As the last of his words escape his lips, he begins to turn to stone, cementing himself in place. Behind him, the group sees a door materialize in the wall, allowing them access to the further parts of the tower. They look at each other, wondering at the fact that this tower seemed to be put in place just to test them, further fueling their curiosity for what they would find as they ascended. Poppet takes the time to heal Rauros, who was still ailing after the damage Faith inflicted, and when she looks up from her work she sees that the statue of Faith is glowing. When she approaches, a corset manifests next to the glowing body. She takes it, in awe that the clothing seems to be made for her. She assesses it to be a Corset of Dire Witchcraft.

After Poppet takes the time to tie herself into her new corset, the group determines that they are ready to carry on. They step through the new door, and find an ascending set of stairs.

 _ **Passing Unseeing Eyes**_

As they reach the top of the staircase, they feel the weight upon them increase slightly, pressing down on them, draining them of their abilities. The flooring is different, this being of irregular flagstones pieced together. After the initial impact of the new zone, the group also notices that it feels cooler, and that for illumination there are burning torches instead of crystals. They also notice that the clockwork noises from behind the walls are still audible. They continue forward, allowing Tarian to once again take the lead, desperately relying on his ability to find and disarm traps to keep the group alive. The hallway takes another 90-degree turn, and they find a wooden door that is closed before them. Tarian does not sense any traps, and when he tries the doorknob he finds the door to be unlocked, but the door seems to be stuck in place. Tarian gives the door a shove, but it does not budge. Alex steps forward and points a shoulder at the door before ramming it as hard as he can. It seems to give slightly under the force of his charge, but not enough to open it. As Alex lines up for another charge, Rauros and Mastodon join him in the charge, and the door gives under their combined efforts. Tarian gives the walking muscle a nod and resumes his place at the front of the group to lead the way into the room. He observes a large room full of desks, shelves, pots of ink, quills, and blank parchment; some kind of scribe room. The chairs have been tipped over, and some of the parchment is scattered on the floor as if the occupants of the room tried to leave in a hurry, or someone had ransacked it afterwards. They see another door to the south, and as they make their way to the door, Tarian picks up one of the scrolls from the shelves, and as he tries to read the writing, he shakes his head at the strangeness he experiences: the writing on the page is fuzzy, and blurry to his eyes, as if he was trying to read without glasses on. He hands the parchment to others to try to read, but to the same effect. Tarian decides to pocket the parchment in case it comes in handy later.

They make their way to an ornate-looking wooden door. Tarian does not detect any traps at this door either, but it is locked. He takes out his lock-picking tools, and sets to work on the door. After a few minutes of trying, he hears the lock click, and is satisfied when he tries the door and it opens for him. Beyond the door, they see a long room with columns running at intervals through the center. Set into the walls are pedestals with glowing orbs resting on top of them. They have an eerie orange glow to them that gives enough light to the room for them to just barely make out the closed door on the other side. Lo detects some kind of magical presence, and mentions the conspicuousness of the room's layout to the group. They are all hesitant to step into the room, but finally Tarian steps forward, and as he crosses the threshold, he instantly disappears. The group gives a gasp, looking at each other for some kind of reassurance that he really did not just disappear, but no explanation is forthcoming. They did notice that the orbs glowed brighter for a moment as Tarian was taken, though. Meanwhile, Tarian finds himself staring at the kneeling statue of Faith, and he sighs as he realizes that he has been teleported there in the blink of an eye.

After a few moments of murmuring from the rest of the group, Alex decides that it is his turn to test his faith. He had already resigned himself to death, and at Tarian's disappearance he knew that if the rogue was still alive, the best he could do is follow after him, hoping to find him on the other side. Alex bravely steps forward, and Myne gives him a little 'good luck' as he steps over the threshold. Tarian sees Alex materialize in front of him, and gives a small smirk at the moron that followed him despite what must have been quite the unnerving disappearance on the other side. Tarian sighs and takes out a slip of blank parchment, scrawling out a note that tells anyone that follows that Tarian and Alex have made their way back up to the teleportation room. Back at the teleportation room, Myne is antsy at the thought of Tarian and Alex being either dead or transported to some other place. She knew that the only solution was to step into the room and follow after them, also resigned to her fate, whatever it would be. She takes hold of Rauros, and steps through with her eyes closed. She is presented with the statue of Faith, and a small piece of parchment on the floor. She gives a sigh of relief at being alive, and that her friends were okay, just a few steps ahead. They could try this again.

Lo begins to use his head rather than his faith on what could cause the disappearances, assuming that some kind of spell was being used on the room that must be triggered in some way by the act of them crossing the threshold of the room. He tests some internal theory by taking out a length of rope, and tosses one end of it into the room. The rope lands in a quiet heap a short distance in the room, somehow harmlessly crossing some invisible barrier that live creatures could not cross.

Poppet examines the orbs with some intensity, aware that they must be the key to safely crossing the room, and turns to Roth, "Roth, can you fire an arrow at one of the orbs please?"

Roth nods and nocks an arrow, letting it loose with ease and cleanly hitting one of the orbs. The arrow makes a * _tink_ * sound as it bounces off, as if hitting a solid piece of glass. The orbs seemed to be very well in place, and very unbreakable. They turn at the sound of something approaching from behind them, and smile at the sight of Tarian and Alex walking towards them with slightly disgruntled looks on their faces at having to walk the distance back. They explain to the group where they were teleported to as Myne and Rauros also find their way back to the group. They all look again at the door on the opposite side of the room, anxious to figure out a way to it. Lo points out that in the door's alcove there is a lever sticking out, perhaps something to disengage the spell.

Tarian asks to borrow the rope in Lo's hand, and manages to lasso one of the orbs with a precise throw. He then gives the other end to Mastodon, requesting he try to pull one of the orbs out of the wall. Mastodon puts all his muscle into it, but the orb is immovable, and unfortunately their rope begins to fray first. Myne quickly repairs the rope with a spell, but it is obvious that they would not be able to break or move the orbs. Roth decides to try his luck, and takes the rope in his hands before stepping across the threshold, hopeful that perhaps having an inanimate object to tether him to the room would keep him there. He is rather disappointed when he sees that he is teleported to the statue of Faith without the rope. He grumbles a bit to himself as he begins to make the run back to his companions.

Tarian decides the rope is not going to be a help, and manages to unhook the rope from around the orb. He concentrates on how he might enter the room without triggering the spell. If the orbs were the trigger, perhaps line of sight needs to remain broken between himself and the orb. He tests his theory by crouching low, and attempts to keep one of the pillars in between himself and the nearest orb. He sneaks into the room, and the group gives a little squeal of excitement when he does not disappear. He also breathes a little sigh of relief and continues to sneak through the room, using the pillars as cover until he reaches the other side, and pulls the lever. The light from the orbs is extinguished, and they know that Tarian's efforts have been successful. The rest of the group traverse the room, grateful to not be staring at the statue of Faith again.

 _ **Do Not Touch My Things**_

They give each other a few smiles and high-fives at Tarian for making it across the room before turning their attention to the next trial. There is a closed wooden door in front of them, and they eagerly await the rogue's assessment. He checks the door carefully, but does not sense any traps, and opens the door onto another hallway lit with torches. They make their way down the hallway, and on one section of the wall they see another phrase in Azlanti scratched into the surface.

Tarian translates it as, _Mind the plant_.

They give each other confused glances at the strange tip, and continue further down the hallway until they come to another closed door with no traps. Tarian does notice that the door is magically locked though, and this one is considerably easier than the last one he had to unlock. He opens the door after hearing the magical lock give way to his efforts, and the group looks in on a room that appears to have been a library.

The effect is spoiled due to the fact that the shelves have been knocked over, and there are scripts and scrolls littering the floor like piles of leaves. There is also a hulking figure in the room that is slightly humanoid in shape, but made of stone with two glowing, gemstone eyes. It is wandering the room, oblivious to their presence for the moment, and Roth decides to carefully step into the room, sidling along the edge of the wall to avoid drawing attention to himself. The movement catches the stone creature's attention, and it turns to watch him as he walks. With the creature's attention drawn to Roth, Tarian decides to enter the room and head in the opposite direction, also hugging the edge of the room. Both elves notice that the creature is not showing any signs of aggression; it seems to simply be watching their progress as they make their way carefully across the room.

Roth drops his eyes to the floor, and sees all the scrolls and papers littered there. He begins to wonder if they may hold any answers for them as they continued through this mysterious tower. It is too much temptation, and he retrieves one of the pieces of parchment at his feet. Immediately, the stone creature's eyes glow red, and it charges Roth, who is not ready for the heavy impact. The creature slams Roth into the wall, knocking the breath out of him and making him see stars. Meanwhile, Tarian takes the opportunity to sneak behind an upturned bookshelf, hoping that if this turns into a fight that he might be able to take a shot at the unaware creature. He also takes the opportunity to snatch up a few pieces of parchment within his reach while the creature is preoccupied. Poppet and Ellete know that the creature is planar, from the earth, and that they are plodding, stubborn creatures. They also noticed that the creature showed no signs of hostility until Roth touched some of the parchment in the room.

With the ability to speak in any language, Ellete flies forward and puts herself in between Roth and the creature while shouting, "Whoa, whoa! We're not here for you! We just need to pass through!"

Poppet casts a healing hex on Roth to heal some of his wounds while Ellete is speaking with the creature, who responds with, "Drop my things!"

Ellete turns and shouts at Roth, "Drop the scroll Roth!"

He does so, carefully placing the parchment back on the floor from where he had retrieved it, and the creature slowly backs away from him in a truce.

Ellete turns and speaks to the creature again, "We just need to pass through to the door on the other side of the room, that is all."

The creature looks at her solemnly and says, "Do not touch my things."

Ellete gives an exasperated expression as she says, "We will leave your things, we promise."

The creature makes his point clear to her with one last statement, "Be mindful of my things on the ground."

Ellete turns to the group and translates their conversation simply by saying, "Don't touch anything in the room, don't step on anything, just walk to the other side!"

Curiosity takes over in Myne, and she quickly asks Ellete, "Please, speak with the creature about what else might be in the tower, or what may have happened to it."

Ellete relays the question, and the creature responds to her with some sadness in its voice, "There are many others, from other planes. I avoid them, I do not like them. I have been here a long time… old masters have long since passed."

Ellete asks the question that they all have on their minds, "Who were your old masters?"

The creature looks at the group, its gemstone eyes looking over each of them and then says, "Like you, dark of skin… small frail things, not like me."

Ellete senses her cue to end the questions, and says, "Okay, thank you for your time! We will be on our way!"

The creature gives Poppet a lasting look while saying with as much gravel in its voice as it can muster, "Very well, being from the plane of air. Do not cross me again."

They make their way to the door on the other end of the room, most of them keeping an eye on the stone creature until Tarian had examined the door and found it devoid of traps or locks.

 _ **Raccoon Nest**_

Tarian opens the door, and before them is a small room with seemingly nothing threatening within. They all step over the threshold together, and immediately everyone except Rauros and Mastodon get the sensation that they are being pulled towards the floor. They realize that some magic in the room has shrunk them to small size. Almost at the same time their eyes are drawn to the other side of the room where a door swings open on a wire cage. Myne and Roth recognize it as a Mythic Dire Raccoon that looks hungry, and given the foam encircling its mouth it is likely crazed as well. Since the group is actually smaller in size than the raccoon now, it is likely that they would be considered a meal.

Alex casts Knight's Calling on the raccoon while Mastodon steps in front of his shrunken compatriots and hits the raccoon with his sword. Lo runs into a corner and casts his Tiny Hut spell, making a dark purple tent appear. Mastodon takes another swing and misses while Poppet casts Mage Armor on Alex. The raccoon homes in on the shiny paladin and claws at him viciously while Roth's sleep arrow and normal arrow miss the target. Tarian tries to sneak to a hiding place, and his fired crossbow bolt misses. Myne turns into a bear, and she and Rauros both miss with their claws and jaws.

Alex swings his sword, managing to land one hit on the raccoon while Lo plays his Inspire Courage song from within his hut. Mastodon swings and misses with both blows, becoming angered at the raccoon's ridiculous reflexes. Poppet casts Air Geyser, launching the raccoon into the ceiling and then back down to the floor. The raccoon maintains its interest in Alex, and bites him in the arm, and then claws at his chest. Luckily for Alex, he manages to fend off the disease that has taken hold of the rabid creature. Roth's and Tarian's arrows both miss, and Myne tries to determine what makes the raccoon so hard to hit. She is unable to figure anything out, and in her confusion, she accidentally claws Alex instead.

Alex swings and misses with his sword, adding to the frustration that is in the air. Lo steps up and Blinds the creature, ensuring that it can no longer see their attacks coming. Mastodon takes a swing with his great sword and connects with the raccoon in a satisfying crunch while Poppet heals Rauros, and Ellete's Starlight Blast misses. The raccoon, despite being blind, manages to land one claw's worth of damage to Alex. Roth's arrows still miss their mark while Tarian stealths and takes one shot. Myne and Rauros together manage to bring down the raccoon with a few well-aimed slashes.

With the raccoon finally down, they take stock of their injuries while Tarian notices a pile of shiny stuff in the corner near the cage. They find 81 platinum pieces, 729 gold pieces, 558 silver pieces, 62,060 copper pieces, 1 aquamarine, 1 freshwater pearl, 1 jasper, 1 saltwater pearl, 1 smoky quartz, and 1 Wand of Detect Magic, which Poppet analyzes for Tarian, shaking her head as she hands it back to him.

The group is exhausted from the day's events, and when Tarian lets them know that the door leading further in is not locked or trapped, they decide that it is time to take a rest. They curl up in Lo's hut, and decide that Roth would take first watch with Rauros, then Tarian would take 2nd shift, and Mastodon would take the third watch. To their relief, the night is completely uneventful, with the only sounds being the constant clicking and ticking of the gear movements behind the walls.


	49. Paradise Lost & Found: 6th of Desnus

**6th of Desnus:** **The Tower's Dark Mysteries**

 _ **Demon Eyes, Rough Seas, and a Savior**_

The group carefully packs up their belongings in the morning, refreshed from the night's sleep and ready to explore the tower further. They pull open the door and look out into a hallway lined with torches. The only difference between this hallway and any of those seen previously is that here, there are demonic faces carved into the walls at various intervals: they glare at the group from beady eyes; they sport horns of various sizes, and gaping mouths with sharp teeth. Despite being made of stone, the flickering torchlight thrown on their faces makes them look alive. Tarian carefully examines them for traps, but does not sense anything. The group decides it best to not linger in such an eerie place.

They enter a room at the end of the hallway that is empty save for some lit candles on the walls and two tapestries. The first tapestry that catches their attention is faded and torn, but the group can still make out the image of a ship on rough seas. Men on the ship are pointing off into the distance where a tall tower is visible. Lo decides to pull the tapestry away from the wall to see if there is anything hidden behind it.

They are rewarded for their curiosity with another message written in Azlanti that Tarian translates as, _When the gate is open we shall be restored._

The group puzzles over the meaning of the phrase, coming to no clear conclusions before turning their attention to the other side of the room where several holes have been cut into the wall to allow for a candle to be nestled within each one. They are no longer lit, but the group can see that they must have been used frequently in another time: there is a waxy residue caked to the walls and around the notches, and above the candles the wall is scorched and darkened with the soot of the candles. Above the soot-stained walls and candles is a black patch where a mural can vaguely be discerned. The group wipes away the soot as best they can, and the mural reveals a person with dark skin and short cropped hair wearing the same white robes and headband with eyes as Kyus and the figure they saw in the underground cavern before reaching the tower. While this is a new figure being depicted, it is clear that he shares the same religious affiliation as the others. This dark-skinned figure is shown extending a hand down to aid a ragged-looking mother and her child as they crouch on the ground; as a savior reaches out to aid the sick and destitute. They decide to relight the candles in the off-chance that it too reveals something new to them, but nothing is forthcoming. Lo decides to pocket one of the candles, and they decide to move on.

 _ **Justice's Trial**_

To the north is another door for them to try, and they find it unlocked and free of traps. Tarian still takes the lead to step into the room first, and when he enters he immediately feels the humidity and dampness of some kind of greenhouse. The floor is damp, and they see large plants, as well as some smaller potted plants on tables. Some of the plants on the table have broken free of their pots and are rooting into the wooden tables that look rotted from the roots and humidity in the room. Myne gives a cursory glance to the plants, but sees nothing threatening or valuable in the mass of roots and leaves, and they all make their way to the west where another door made of slate awaits them. As they stand before the door, they see that it has more Azlanti writing, which Tarian translates as a riddle:

 _I am light as a feather, yet the strongest man cannot hold me for more than a minute._

Mastodon crosses his arms and says with a low grumble, "Breath."

The runes glow at his answer, and the stone door slides aside to reveal a flight of ascending stairs. They see the same pattern of flagstone on the flooring and the torches on the wall casting flickering shadows. At the top of the stairs they find themselves stepping into a large room about 50 feet square. It seems to be some kind of worship hall since there are pews in rows in front of them, and a large open center section. In the center of the room stands another individual reminiscent of Faith; a guardian figure with metallic-looking skin and the same blue geometric patterns on their skin. This one is shaped differently though: he is heavy-set with a chiseled back and torso while his lower body is shaped like that of a dragon without the wings. He carries a tower shield, and a sword shines from its scabbard at his side.

The figure rises and beckons them forward, saying, "I have been dubbed Justice. Only those with the most honor and righteousness could have made it this far. But I wonder if you are ready for what lies ahead. Let us cross swords and see."

Justice pulls his sword out of its scabbard and booms, "Prove your worth, Wanderers of the Realm!"

Knowing that they would be tested, Tarian rolls and hides behind a pew to try to take a shot at Justice, but misses. Mastodon steps in front of Justice and takes two hard swings that connect with Justice's ribs. Poppet casts Enlarge Person on Mastodon to make him as formidable as possible in the face of Justice's huge figure. Roth takes a shot and then does his best to move behind some of the pews to stay out of Justice's line of sight. Alex steps up to flank Justice next to Mastodon and lands one hit on Justice while Myne casts Flame Strike and sends Rauros up to the frontlines. Justice takes a swing at Mastodon with his massive longsword, and as he does so Mastodon gets the sensation that part of his life force is being sapped from him, and he shudders as he feels the pull on his energy and watches the subsequent healing of Justice's wounds. The second swing of Justice's sword hits just as hard as the first, and the third does nearly as much. Justice then brings his tail down on Roth with a * _smack*_. Lo sees the damage that Justice can do from angles other than the front and immediately retreats as far to the back of the room as he can, then starts his Inspire Courage song.

Tarian moves along the pews, ducking and hiding as best he can before taking a called shot at Justice's sword arm, hitting and causing the arm to flinch and spasm from the bolt. Mastodon takes two swings that both miss their targets. Poppet heals Mastodon's wounds, and Ellete adds her own cure powers to Mastodon's damage repair; she could tell he is still reeling from the blows Justice had inflicted. Roth lines up two shots on Justice while Alex swings and misses again. Myne transforms into a bear to join the melee, rushing in and clawing Justice, and accidentally hits Mastodon in the process. Justice swings and hits Mastodon with three heavy hits again, and Roth takes another hit from Justice's tail. Lo decides to try to take out the weapon doing all the damage, and casts Grease on the handle of the sword.

Tarian sneaks, and tries a head shot that misses while Mastodon lands a heavy blow with his sword. Poppet casts her cure spell again, and throws a healing potion from her satchel as well, seeing that the barbarian was being brought practically to his knees with every swing of Justice's sword. Roth takes another shot that hits, and Alex casts Knight's Calling to draw Justice off of Mastodon. Myne connects with one claw, and as Justice tries to bring down his sword on Alex the sword slips out of his hand. At losing his sword, he turns on Alex to hit him with his tail. Seeing the effectiveness of disarming Justice, Lo also casts Grease on his feet, hoping to make the great creature slip.

Tarian sneaks and hits Justice with a crossbow bolt while Mastodon's first two swings miss. His third finally connects with a * _crunch*_ on Justice. Poppet focuses her healing powers on Alex while Roth sprints towards Justice's sword, grabbing it off the ground and running as far away with it as he can. Alex casts Lay on Hands on himself in an effort to get back some of his stamina that he lost, then takes two swings with his sword, connecting with one swing. Myne and Rauros rip into Justice with claws and jaws, and Justice staggers backwards from the blows.

He kneels down on his four legs, breathing heavily and says, "Proceed. Allow the light to guide you on your way."

He puts his hands together in prayer, and turns to stone.

The silence that follows the end of the battle is broken when Roth begins to drag Justice's sword over to him. He reverentially sets it in front of Justice, and as he does so Mastodon notices that his own great sword begins to glow in his hands. It glows a bright, deep red, and then darkens as if the metal itself is reshaping itself. The blade becomes wider, the handle and hilt molds to form what looks like etchings of barbs and thorns. When the glowing and molding ceases, Mastodon looks in awe at his morphed sword: it is a dark grey great sword with a magical aura along the blade that makes it look like it is bleeding. When Poppet assesses the blade for him, she is amazed to find an ancient blade named Skofnüng, a vicious, fury-borne great sword.

She reverentially whispers to Mastodon, "This sword, it will feed off your own blood, allowing you access to great power, but at a price. It is as if with each hit, the blade will increase in magical power. Wield it with care."

Mastodon grunts with satisfaction at the brutal and worthy weapon, Justice's gift, and the group turns their attention to the exit. On the opposite side of the room, they see a wall open up, revealing a set of ascending stairs.

 _ **Sulphur, Fire, & Quenching Water**_

The group takes the stairs with some trepidation, aware of what would happen when they reached the top. On cue, as they step off the landing, they feel the weight upon them increase, weakening their bodies and minds. When they recover from the loss, they look out on a hallway with walls of hewn stone, and uneven flagstones on the floor that do not have the same even-spacing and care in their layout as the floor below them. There is no torchlight giving off light; Lo's lamplight is the only source of light for those that cannot already see in the dark. As he holds the lantern aloft to see further down the hallway, they can just make out a wooden door. Tarian takes the lead, and slowly makes his way to the door. He does not sense any traps, and when he presses his ear against the door, he does not hear anything either.

When he carefully swings the door open, the group immediately takes in a strong, sulfurous odor emitting from the room beyond. With the door open, Tarian immediately senses traps beyond it. He notices that one of the tiles in the room has a disable button, and carefully uses it to remove the shocking floor trap with ease. With the trap disabled, the group takes stock of what else is in the room, and finds some kind of dormitory with a few cots, and a table at the end of each cot. On top of each cot is a neatly folded set of black robes, and on a table, they find an empty bottle of wine as well. It adds to the confusion of the tower's purpose. Their impression is that the tower is part religious shrine and part working temple, complete with housing for priests, defense systems, and rooms for work and research. After fighting Justice, they also have the suspicion that this temple is somehow expecting their presence, and that part alone was the most unnerving for them.

The group sees that there are two doors that they can try in order to move on; one to the north and another to the south. They decide to try the northward door first, and find it to be unlocked. When they open the door, they see a single empty fireplace against the east wall.

Scrawled in red above the fireplace are more Azlanti runes, _Hail to the destroyer, hail to our savior_ , Tarian reads _._

When they draw their eyes away from the wording, they see that there is a cast-iron kettle in the fireplace. Roth tries to light the fire in the grate to see if it produces any results, but nothing is forthcoming. With the room otherwise empty, they decide to move on by trying a door set into the south side of the room.

Tarian does not sense any traps, and when they carefully open the door, they see a pool of water against the adjacent wall. When the group approaches, and Lo dangles the lantern over the water, they see that it is quite deep. At about ten feet down, they see that there is a tunnel leading west, seemingly connecting another room. The group begins to debate whether to take the risk, especially not knowing how far the tunnel goes. Alex steps forward to end the discussion, and jumps in the water. With his heavy armor on, he sinks to the bottom, and the group watches as the top of his head sinks out of sight. Poppet sighs and jumps in after the paladin, knowing that Alex could not see without the light, and would likely need assistance swimming. She takes hold of his arm, and guides him forward towards the tunnel. The two of them begin to feel a resistant current that makes it difficult to push forward. Poppet's small form loses momentum, and she begins to fall back, but Alex holds firm to her arm, and moves them forward. The current gets stronger, and neither of them can maintain their momentum. The current pushes them back to where they started, and after one more failed attempt to push forward, they make their way back to the pool, breaking the surface of the water and gasping for air.

When they catch their breath, they explain to the group what they experienced in the tunnel, and in response Myne gives a nod, jumps into the water and transforms into an otter to aid in the attempt to traverse the tunnel. Poppet and Alex take deep breaths and follow Myne back under the water. The three of them push forward into the tunnel, and with only a few slip-ups, Poppet and Myne manage to make headway, pulling Alex along with them. When they reach a center point of the tunnel, they notice that the resistance begins to push them forward, hurling them to the end of the tunnel and into a pool similar to the side where they started. With their air supply running low, they carefully break the surface of the water, and notice that the room is stiflingly hot. When they look at the center of the room, they see a fire elemental wandering throughout the room, unaware of their presence. They also see two doors in the room, one to the north and another to the west. On the east wall, they notice a lever set into the wall.

Poppet, Myne, and Alex give each other glances, and they each seem unwilling to leave the pool for fear of attracting the fire elemental's attention, or overheat from the oppressive temperature. Poppet comes up with an idea, and casts Companion Life Link to call Ellete to her side. She relays to Ellete their needs, deciding to send out the small companion to pull the lever on the wall. Ellete flutters up, and stealths past the fire elemental, skirting the edge of the wall and making her way to the lever. Luckily, she has enough strength to press the lever down with her weight. They hear a mechanical sound emanating from behind the wall, and they know that something has been deactivated. When nothing in the room is forthcoming, Poppet calls Ellete back to her side, and they decide to try to head back to the group. They find their way back through the tunnel with no resistance, and realize that the jets in the tunnel had been deactivated by the lever. They make their way back to the group, and together they explain the fire elemental in the adjoining room. They decide to not press their luck with an enraged fire elemental, and instead decide to make their way back to the room with the cots and attempt to get further into the tower by investigating the southern door.

 _ **Shackles, Blood, and Metal Globes**_

The group decides to make a hasty retreat away from the fire elemental in order to investigate the unopened southerly door they found earlier. In the room with the cots, they try the door to the south, and find it to be devoid of traps and locks. Tarian opens the door, and beyond it finds a hallway that descends slightly and then veers left. An archway signals an opening into a medium-sized room, and Tarian carefully approaches, not sensing any traps but keenly aware that the room beyond is completely unlit. Lo steps forward with the lantern, and they get a view of a scene that unsettles them: in the center of the room are several clubs laying on the ground, and a pair of shackles bolted to the red-tinted flagstones on the floor. They are transfixed by the gruesome sight, and approach with caution, trying to determine how long ago this scene played out. The clubs are crude, and show signs of heavy use, including some crusted black and red blood stains. Other than noting that the blood is dried on, they cannot determine how long ago the scene took place, and with nothing else in the room, Tarian decides to make his way to the door on the other side of the room, giving the central scene a wide berth. He does not sense any traps, but the door is locked. As Tarian picks at the lock, Myne takes another look around the room, but shudders when the only thing she finds are old, broken fingernails from someone scratching at the stone floors. Tarian needs two attempts at the lock to catch the lock, but he finally succeeds.

When the door swings open, they see a much larger room beyond; nearly three times as large, and lit by torchlight along the walls. In each of the four corners (Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast) they see waist-high pedestals holding an orb. At the center, they see another pedestal with a bowl-shaped indent, clearly meant to also hold an orb. They carefully approach the pedestals with orbs, and see that they are perfectly smooth globes made of metal. They seem to be uniform, and other than being smooth metal, they are featureless. Poppet and Ellete can sense magic coming from the center of the room, and Roth wonders out loud if one of the orbs is missing. They look around for clues or hints to the room's challenge, and find a heavy stone door on the other side of the room. Like the globes, it is featureless other than being made of stone; there are no handles and no lock. Poppet can tell that the door itself is not magical, and Tarian decides to try to force the door by slamming into it. Tarian groans in pain as he hears a rib crack from the impact, but the door does not budge. Lo also tries to lend a hand, but the door is firmly in place. They decide the only way out is to figure out the orbs, despite the fact that Roth and Myne are both reluctant to move the orbs from their pedestals.

Myne looks around the room again, desperately looking for an answer, hoping that they would not have to suffer through trial and error to get the door open. She does notice that the bowl-like impression on the center pedestal has a metal plate at the bottom, as if it could perfectly accept and interact with one of the metal globes in the room.

 _"..._ but which one?" she murmurs out loud.

Lo hears her and answers, "We try them all at once, together."

He strides towards the southeast pedestal with purpose and determination, and Tarian follows his cue and heads for the northeast pedestal. Roth begins to protest removing the orbs, but Myne agrees that they must start somewhere if they hope to move forward. She sets her jaw, ignoring her apprehension at the feeling in the room, and the gruesome scene in the room they just left behind, and heads towards the northwest orb. Poppet turns to see Alex, Mastodon, and Roth hesitating, but also knows that the room will only be overcome if they do something. She heads towards the southwest pedestal, and when all four are at their pedestals, Lo gives them a hard count of three to lift them off their pedestals at the same time. They all pick up their orbs, some with their eyes shut while they do so, and find that nothing happens with the orbs removed. They look into the indentations and find that none of them have metal plates like the central pedestal; the key would be in the placement. They each carry their orb to the center, and they look at each other, wondering which one to place first; they all look the same. Tarian steps forward, volunteering to be the first to place an orb in the center pedestal. He carefully sets his globe in the indentation, sighing with relief as nothing happens to him when the globe comes to a snug rest. They hear the clanking of metal and gearwork from beneath the floor, and turn to see the stone door slide aside with a heavy grinding sound. They giggle with relief at their luck, and slap Tarian on the back as he takes the lead to head through the door set in the east wall.

They enter a small room with a number of crudely-made cots along the walls with small tables at the foot of each cot; a well-folded black-hooded robe is laid out on each table. In the center of the room is a larger table with chairs arranged around it, and cups, plates, and utensils set on top of it. To the south, they see another simple wooden door leading out. Tarian senses a trap, most likely set into the central table. Sure enough, he spots some sort of device, and sets to work disabling it. His first attempt is shaky at best, so he sets to work again, this time hearing a telltale fizzle that indicates a shocking grasp trap being dispelled.

He grins as he stands up and says, "It would have shocked you if you sat at the table… not sure why you would trap the table."

Roth looks around the room, curious for signs of habitation, but sees that there aren't even any footprints on the floor.

When Tarian inspects the simple wooden door, he finds it to be free of traps and unlocked, but stuck. He gives the door a half-hearted bash, unwilling to injure himself again, and Lo decides to try to grease the door to make it slide easier. Myne then commands Rauros to charge the door, and on his fourth charge, he breaks through the door, sending splinters in all directions and pulling the hinges off. They hear a smash of glass as the bear tumbles into the room, and when they look through, they see Rauros shaking his head and carefully moving off a broken wooden table that must have been holding glass vials and other implements. The room seems to be some kind of alchemy lab, full of bottles, burners, vials, and other implements. They carefully maneuver around the shards of glass, and look around to see if there is anything of value. Tarian finds a vial with wolfsbane, a type of ingested poison. He also finds some arsenic. Myne also searches around, and finds a potion of Calm Emotions and Charm person. They see a door to the south, and Tarian heads for it. He senses no traps, but finds the door to be locked. It takes him two tries to pick the lock, and upon opening the door, they find a hallway that immediately diverges to the left. The walls are lined with torches, and there is smooth slate on the floor. After about thirty feet, they come to a dead end. They inspect the wall carefully, confused by the sudden stop, and find more Azlanti writing:

 _What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?_

Roth murmurs, "Your name."

The runes glow a brilliant blue, and the wall slides open, revealing a set of ascending stairs.

 _ **Prudence's Trial**_

At the top of the stairs, they land in a very large room similar in size and layout to the teleportation room they encountered earlier. There are columns throughout the long room, and on the sides of the walls there are pedestals with metal orbs set onto them. Standing in the center is another figure with blue geometric veins. He looks like a human with long dark hair, a headband, and a long cloak. He appears to be wearing leather pants and tunic, and carries two daggers along with a crossbow at his side.

He looks straight at the group and says, "I am Prudence, third of the guardians. Forethought told you that I would be here to test you. I hope you have come prepared."

At these words, the orbs on the pedestals grow metallic insect-like wings, and raise above the pedestals in flight. The room is plunged into darkness as all the light in the room goes out, including Lo's lantern. Only Mastodon and Poppet can now see in the absolute darkness that surrounds them.

In the darkness, Tarian makes his best guess to try to head towards a column for cover. He feels around in front of him, taking his steps carefully, but cannot seem to anchor his location to a place where he feels confidently under cover. Mastodon watches as the darkness envelops the room, and sees the winged globes now fluttering around the room. He also sees that Prudence, once standing in the center of the room, is now nowhere to be found.

Conscious of the fact that most other members of the party cannot see this, he shouts out, "Prudence has vanished!"

He then carefully approaches the nearest flying globe, and pokes at it cautiously with this sword. It continues to fly around, but does not do anything else. The group hears the warning from Mastodon, and each holds their weapons out in front of them, unsure of where they should go. They hear an annoyed grunt from Mastodon, who feels the sensation of something slashing at his legs, and then wrapping around them. He stands his ground as he feels a pull at his legs, and then the sensation of an icy chill as whatever has wrapped around his legs leaves a cut, and then the feeling is gone as whatever is around his legs releases him. Roth listens carefully for the sound of wings in the darkness, knowing that an annoyed grunt from Mastodon means these things are likely attacking. He hears a fluttering sound close by, and takes a shot in the dark. He is rewarded with the sound of an arrow tearing through metal. Alex, Tarian, Myne, and Roth all feel a razor-sharp disc cut into their flesh while Lo, Roth, and Poppet hear the sound of whizzing metal go past their ears.

Mastodon and Poppet see that the flying globes are shooting small metal discs at the group. Lo furrows his soft bronze eyebrows, wondering how best to stay out of the way of the globes. He slowly backpedals until his back meets a wall, and then he slides along the wall until he finds a corner to hunker down. Alex makes out the sound of wings, but has a difficult time pinpointing exactly where it is coming from. Frustrated by the lack of clarity, he drops to a knee to pray to Iomedae for illumination. Suddenly, the front of his shield begins to glow, allowing him to point the beam in a direction to illuminate an object that it focuses on. He finds one of the orbs, illuminating it for everyone else as well, although everything between his shield and the orb is still in complete darkness. Desperate to see in the darkness, Myne turns herself into a magical beast that she had seen only once before: a Hoar Fox. With her new dark vision, she homes in on one of the winged orbs and guides Rauros to follow her to attack one of them. Myne bites, but in the darkness Rauros misses the target. Poppet finds the source of the darkness magic, and casts Dispel Magic, lifting the fog of darkness from the room and allowing all of her party members to see fully.

With Tarian standing obtrusively in the middle of the room with the lights on, he quickly moves behind a pillar and fires an arrow at one of the orbs. He is flustered by the fact that he still cannot find Prudence in the room, but neither can anyone else. Mastodon takes a massive swing at the orb that he had previously only poked, slamming the orb into the ground with the force of the downward blow and shattering the orb into flying metal shards.

As Tarian continues to search the room for signs of Prudence, he is finally rewarded when his eyes catch a slight shimmering outline of a figure moving in between the pillars. He tries to not give away his own position as he watches the shimmering figure take aim at Alex, and throws a shuriken, piercing his armor and penetrating deeply. With all the flying orbs at his disposal, Roth takes aim at the closest orb and lands one shot on it. The orbs shoot out more tiny discs at the group, slicing through Poppet, Myne, Lo, and Tarian. Those aimed at Alex and Roth miss their mark and go zinging through the air. In the corner of the room, Lo starts to play his Inspire Confidence song for the group while Alex casts Compel Hostility, hoping to draw the attention of all the orbs onto him. He then casts Lay on Hands on himself, hoping to rejuvenate some of his lost strength from the shuriken. Myne uses the Hoar Fox's Magic Breath, blowing a cone of cold air at two of the orbs, but the orbs both dodge the attack. Rauros shreds the orb attacking Myne into pieces now that he can see it. Poppet sees Alex's pain and casts a Healing Hex on him and Ellete attempts to hit one of the orbs with a Starlight Blast that fails to connect.

With Prudence now a shimmering outline in Tarian's sights, he lines up to take a shot with his bow and arrow.

Tarian is pleased with himself when it embeds itself in mid-air, the arrow partially visible as if it were stuck in something, and shouts out to the rest of the group, "See the arrow? That's Prudence!"

Mastodon heads for the levitating arrow, and attempts to hit what he cannot directly see for himself. He swings and feels a satisfying * _crunch_ * as he connects with what seems to be thin air. In retaliation Prudence hits Mastodon with three brutal slashes, and Mastodon feels a presence try to trip him up, but he manages to stay on his feet. Roth takes a misjudged shot at the floating arrow as well, but accidentally hits Mastodon in the back instead, and his other shots fly wide. The orbs once again shoot out discs, hitting Poppet, and then, thanks to Alex's spell, all other shots that were aimed at the other companions divert to Alex. Some ping off his armor while some penetrate. Lo constructs his pink Tiny Hut in the corner of the room and continues to play his song.

Alex looks in the direction of where Prudence should be standing and casts Knight's Calling, shouting, "Come and fight me!"

Prudence continues to stay hidden in shadow, unwilling to move. Alex moves to the figure when it appears that he would not move. Myne rushes to aid Poppet, who is being harassed by an orb, but in the frenzy of the fight, Myne turns and bites Rauros, but Rauros keeps his focus and claws at the orb.

Poppet keeps her concentration even with the orb hovering over her, and shouts, "Everyone close your eyes!"

After her hurried command, she casts Glitterdust, and showers the room with neon purple glitter. What was just a shimmering outline of a figure becomes fully visible with the dust covering Prudence. He is also blinded, and flinches in pain as he reacts to the sharp dust in his eyes.

Tarian stealths into Lo's hut, and then takes a shot with his bow that connects with Prudence. Mastodon takes two swings that hit the now-visible Prudence heavily. In his blinded and glittery rage, Prudence sends out a tiny razor blade shuriken that zings across the room. Everyone except Lo and Ellete manage to dodge the blade; for Ellete the pain and damage nearly pulls her out of the air. Roth aims a shot at the glittering guardian, and hits with a well-aimed arrow. With that hit, Prudence falls to one knee in exhaustion, and the remaining orbs turn to stone and fall out of the air.

From his kneeling position, Prudence says, "Adventurers, you have done well so far, but you are only halfway through. Do not let it bear down upon you."

With those last words he turns to stone, and behind him a doorway opens, and they see an ascending staircase beyond.

As Tarian stands in front of the stone figure, he feels the rapier at his side stir. He pulls it from the scabbard, and watches as it begins to glow a soft, light-bluish hue, and then changes shape. When the glowing fades, he sees that he is holding a dagger with a light-blue tinge to the metal. He also notices that it is cool to the touch, and the edge of the blade itself is lined with irregular serrations. He gives the blade a test, lunging out with it in front of him, and everyone around him gasps as the blade leaves behind a trail of frost in its wake.

Poppet speaks up as she watches the vicious blade leave its mark in the air, "Its name is Frostwake, Tarian. You can also throw the weapon to create the frost."

Tarian nods, and carefully places the blade at his hip while Roth looks around at the group and says, "We have suffered today. Is this a good time to try to heal and recover? It's quiet in here..."

The group agrees with the plan, especially since many of them were hurting, and Poppet, Myne, and Lo were feeling the exhaustion from their magic usage from the day. Roth, Tarian, and Mastodon take turns for watch, and the night passes as peacefully as they can expect it to, given their strange location.


	50. Paradise Lost & Found: 7th of Desnus

**7th of Desnus: The Tower's Power**

 _ **Engravings in Smooth Stone**_

The group wakes, unsure of the time of day, but feeling rested and ready to continue through the tower. Discussion breaks out about whether to go back to the fire elemental to explore the area, and possibly learn more about the tower. Tarian and Lo voice to go back to interact with the fire elemental and the room's treasurers (should there be any). They decide to diplomatically put the decision to a vote, and the rest of the group decides that their best course of action is to move forward, rather than backtracking. Even Mastodon, whom the group had frequently seen side with Tarian, insists that they must keep moving on, rather than lingering. They leave the stone figure of Prudence behind, taking the ascending stairs that had been revealed when Prudence was defeated. At the top of the stairs, the group feels the weight and sapping feeling intensify once more, leaving their bodies and minds even weaker than before. They look out on another hallway; however, the masonry is far superior to what they had seen in previous parts of the tower. They step forward, hearing the familiar mechanical gears working away behind the walls. On the walls, they see smooth stone masonry with magical lights inlaid into the walls. The floors are a similar fashion: perfectly smooth stone of such high quality the group takes a couple moments to admire the overall effect.

They continue down the hallway, through an archway into a room. On the far left of the room they see a sealed doorway, and in the middle of the room they see a large engraving on the floor: a geometric shape of round slots connected by straight lines. Tarian sees that within each smaller shape created by the lines are Azlanti numbers, and as he looks around, he finds an assortment of metallic discs scattered on the floor, each with a different Azlanti number from 1 to 8. The group look at each other, and Lo chimes in that the puzzle likely requires them to place the discs in the slots to add up to the number within the smaller shape that each disc surrounds. With a clear understanding of what they needed to do, Lo begins placing the numbers while Roth looks on with a worried expression.

He says, "Shouldn't we have a strategy for where to place these first?"

Lo looks at him and grins, "Nah, brute force is much more fun."

As Lo tries to place the discs with some amount of trial and error, Poppet hands him a small piece of paper where she had reproduced the puzzle and placed all the figures with small notes of mathematics around it.

She says, "Here, I think I have it, but check my mathematics just to be sure."

Lo grins as he gives it a once-over (he had already placed some of the discs properly) and nods in agreement, placing the last discs in the circular slots that Poppet had worked out on her sheet. When he places the last disc, the entire engraving, including the connecting lines and the numbers begin to glow with a bright blue. At the same time, the sealed door ahead of them slides to the side, revealing another passageway.

In the hallway, the group sees more of the smooth, flawless stone in perfect masonic craftsmanship. Along one wall, they see a relief engraving in the wall of demonic faces all in a row. The faces were familiar to them in this new art form, and Tarian and Poppet take turns naming off the different demon 'species': from the lowly dretch to the hezrou, to the pig-like nalfeshnee and the tiny quasit. Some of the faces the group knew all too well, and the images of these demons displayed at least for the second time in this tower makes them stop and take note at their apparent significance.

At the end of this hallway to the right, is a small room that contains some almost-expected objects: on the south wall, they see a mural that is somewhat faded, but they can still make out an image of a group of individuals in black masks kneeling in prayer before a humanoid figure in similar robes as what they remember seeing Kyus wearing. Hanging on a wall next to the mural are a set of masks similar to what the group has come to associate with what members of the Organization wear. Tarian pulls out the mask that he had saved from long ago, and takes note of the similarities: perhaps a different craftsman made it, but the masks carry the same meaning.

As he gazes at the masks, he notices that someone has scrawled something underneath the masks in Azlanti, and he reads it out loud for the group: _In the Valley of Flowers when the seal fails, the Tower of Shadows shall be restored._

Myne wracks her brain for any location called the Valley of Flowers, but none comes to mind. She knows of plenty of valleys renowned for their wildflowers, but none bear that name specifically. She mentions as much to the group, unsure of whether or not they were standing in this Tower of Shadows, and what could have happened in this Valley of Flowers to bring it into being. With nothing else in the room forthcoming, Tarian makes his way to a strong-looking wooden door. It seems to not be trapped or locked, but when he tries to open it, once again he finds that he cannot budge it. Instead of breaking ribs in his weakened state, he makes room for the larger and stronger members of their group to attempt to break the door down. Myne enlists Rauros to help Mastodon charge the door, and on their first attempt the door does not budge. As they line up for another charge, Tarian takes another look around the room, and notices a set of floor tiles that seem to be slightly out of place. When he tests them, he finds that one tile gives way, revealing a wooden chest in a hideaway recess in the flooring. He can tell that it is trapped, but manages to disable the magical trap on the first try. Inside, he gives a small gasp and sigh as he sees that it is full of precious gems: 50 gold worth of zircon, 45 gold worth of sardonyx, 100 gold worth of opals, 12 gold worth of malachite, 45 gold worth of jasper, 120 gold worth of garnet, 100 gold worth of aquamarines. He hurriedly shows them off to the group before dumping the contents into his bag of holding. As he does so, Mastodon and Rauros manage to finally break down the door with a combined effort.

 _ **Temperance's Trial**_

Past the splintered remains of the door, the group sees a set of ascending stairs, and Tarian takes the lead again, nodding a thanks to Mastodon and Rauros for their brute strength despite the weight and sapping energy in the tower. The top of the stairs opens up to a large room, and standing in the center is another figure with the glowing geometric patterns. This one has all the appearances of a normal human if not for the lines across her face and hands. She wears a tight breastplate and cloak, and is armed to the teeth with an array of weaponry: a longbow and scythe cross her back, a dagger sticks out from her boot, a long sword hangs from her hip, and in her hands, she holds a great axe and a spear.

She beckons the group to approach and says, "My name is Temperance, and it is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I hope to test you in a well-mannered fashion, but first please answer me the following:

 _I make you weak at the worst of times;_

 _Keep you safe, keep you fine._

 _I make your hands sweat and your heart go cold._

 _I visit the weak, but seldom the bold."_

In unison, Poppet and Roth answer the question with soft voices, "Fear."

Temperance gives a smirk and says, "Well done."

Her weapons begin to detach from their various holsters, floating around her seemingly of their own volition. She holds out her hand, and the longbow floats to her hands while the others continue to float around her with threatening intelligence, and deadly intentions.

Roth takes the first shot, attempting to hit Temperance, but misses. Temperance takes a shot at Myne with her longbow, hitting her with an arrow. Myne notices that the arrow seems to have left behind an acrid burning-feeling in the wound where she was hit. At the same time, the other floating weapons seek out various targets to attack: The long sword goes after Tarian, the spear goes after Rauros, the great axe goes after Mastodon, the dagger goes after Poppet, and the scythe goes after Tarian. Each weapon finds its mark, some with magical aftereffects as well: the longsword causes Tarian to continue to bleed, the scythe leaves a trail of flame in its wake, the spear leaves a cold trail, and the great axe crackles with static shocking energy. Mastodon goes after Temperance, ignoring the floating great axe that takes a swing as he rushes Temperance. He lands a hit on her, but it seems to glance off her armor. Alex holds up his arm, and makes a quick cut across it to have the necessary blood for his Compel Hostility spell, hoping to draw the attacks of all the weapons to him. Poppet casts Black Tentacles, and bursting from the floor are many tentacles that reach out to try to grab Temperance and everyone near her, but they all miss their marks. The spell requires her to lose her focus on the floating dagger attacking her, and it stabs viciously at her. Ellete casts a heal spell on Poppet to help repair some of the damage done by the dagger. Myne shapeshifts into a grizzly bear, and then casts Flame Strike on Temperance, unleashing a beam of holy energy on the room. Rauros charges Temperance, allowing the spear to take a stab at him as he leaves. He slashes at Temperance, and one claw hits, but his bite sinks into Mastodon instead. Tarian anticipates Lo's movement, and waits for him to cast his Tiny Hut in a corner in a dark purple to match his eyebrows. Once it is erected, Tarian does acrobatics to escape the long sword and scythe, then silently moves into the hut.

Roth takes aim at Temperance, and manages to penetrate her armor with one out of three of his shots. Temperance holds out her hand with the bow as if calling to the rest of her weapons, and the spear disappears from its current location and replaces the bow in her hand. The bow then appears in the spear's place, and then launches itself at Alex after initially aiming at Mastodon. Mastodon takes a swing at it, hitting it before it launches. The long sword and scythe both no longer have Tarian as a pincushion, and aim instead at Myne and Alex respectively, hitting each of them. The bow first aims for Rauros, and then switches to Alex, hitting him with an arrow. The dagger stabs Poppet, and makes a thundering boom when it connects. Alex casts Paladin's Sacrifice to take the heavy blow for himself, saving Poppet. The great axe floats back to Mastodon, and as it approaches he manages to hit hard. The group is surprised to see that the long sword next to Myne drops out of the air, making a clatter as it turns to stone when it hits the ground. Mastodon turns and takes a swing at Temperance, hitting her hard with one of his blows and missing the second. Alex attacks the scythe, but it seems to counter the attack. Poppet's tentacles fail to grab any targets, and she heals herself from the damage she has already sustained, but with the loss of concentration the dagger takes another stab at her. Myne and Rauros both attack Temperance with claws and jaws, and Poppet lets out a sigh of relief as the dagger falls out of the air and turns to stone. Tarian sneaks around inside the hut to hide his position, and then fires a shot that hits Temperance. Lo starts to play his lute, playing his Inspire Confidence song.

Roth takes aim at Temperance again, hitting with his first shot, while his second flies wide. As the shot hits Temperance, the group sees Temperance's longbow drop to the floor, turning to stone. Temperance reaches out her hand again, this time her spear changes place with the great axe, and she brings it down hard on Mastodon. The floating spear also targets and hits Mastodon twice with two lunges while the scythe hits Alex twice. Mastodon performs a Power Attack to slam into Temperance with two heavy blows, and they watch as the spear turns to stone and drops from the air. Alex attempts a Double Attack that misses the target, then performs a Lay on Hands on himself to regain some of his stamina. Poppet's tentacles all find their mark, grabbing hold of everyone within melee range of Temperance and attacking them with a dark magic. Seeing Mastodon's weakened condition from the heavy weapon blows, Poppet also casts a healing spell on him. Myne senses Rauros's failing condition as well and heals him while Rauros claws and bites at Temperance. Tarian takes aim from the hut and hits Temperance with an arrow while Lo casts Hideous Laughter, making Temperance double-up in hysterical laughter. Roth takes aim with an arrow, and lands an arrow into her shoulder.

The tentacles dissipate from around her, and she says, "Well done, adventurers. Your trial is nearing completion. Stay strong."

On the other side of the room, a door slides open to guide them forward, and the group looks around at each other, wondering which of their party would be graced with a gift this time. They see that Lo's shirt is glowing; the brightness makes his entire chest shine, and as the glow fades, they see that he is now wearing a rather regal-looking frilled shirt. Poppet saunters up to Lo to inspect his shirt and assess its magical properties. Lo is full of grins as he admires his new shirt and allows Poppet to get close for her inspection: it is a light, flowy fabric in bright white; the collar gives way to frills along the half-done-up button-line, and the sleeves have a slight billowy look with more frills along the cuffs. It was fancy but audacious, giving off just the right combination of style and machismo.

Poppet stifles her giggles as she senses Lo's giddiness about the shirt and says, "Lo, what you have is a Frilled Shirt of Scintillating Colours."

She touches the light fabric on the sleeve, admiring the make of the shirt and continues, "The garment can change colors, giving off a dazzling array of sparkling and dancing colorful light. It can daze those that look upon it, and you can control that power at will."

Lo lets out an excited laugh, and Poppet takes a step back, fearing that he would activate the power of the shirt, and she would be blinded by the spectacle. He manages to keep the power in check, and Poppet turns her attention to the injuries that the group had sustained during the fight. She heals Myne, Tarian, and Alex. Roth tentatively casts a cure spell on Mastodon as well, and Alex casts Lay on hands on himself to heal back the rest of his health.

 _ **Lightning-Fried Brains and Boiled Elemental**_

Tarian heads for the staircase, taking the lead once again, and as he reaches the top step, he looks out on walls with reinforced masonry and smooth stone floors that feel cool to the touch. There is no lighting on the walls, leaving the room mostly dark save for soft glowing little lights floating in the air. Tarian turns the corner and finds another wooden door in front of him. He does not sense traps, and the door is unlocked. He puts his ear to the door, listening for any sounds from the other side. What he hears is unsettling: crackling and zapping sounds reach his ear, and he calmly turns to Roth to quietly whisper what he hears. Roth pulls an arrow to be ready when Tarian slowly, and quietly opens the door. He sneaks inside with Roth still covering him as he steps forward, and what the group sees is a large, long room with metallic orbs atop pedestals along the walls that are randomly firing off a magical energy that crackles and zaps in arcs across the room. On the ceiling, they see a glass bubble with what appears to be a contained raging thunderstorm inside. On the other side of the room they see an all-too-familiar door with a lever next to it. The group also takes note that the flooring seems to be of smooth stone, so at least they would not have to worry about the magical energy having an effect on the flooring.

Poppet whispers to the group, "That's an elemental trapped within the glass, and this element is particularly violent. Take care with it."

She casts Companion Life Link on Ellete, and sends Ellete off to the other end of the room as quietly as she can, avoiding the center of the room, and the bubble as much as possible. When she reaches the other side unharmed, despite the arcing lightning through the room, she pushes with all her weight on the lever until it locks into place. The storm in the room subsides, although inside the bubble they see that the storm is still raging.

Tarian sneaks across the room next, still avoiding the bubble in the center, and then opens the door to take a peek into the next room without entering. It is dark, but the illumination from the other room is enough for him to see that the entire room is covered in cobwebs. He carefully closes the door on the sight as Roth sneaks and joins him on the other side of the room. Tarian tells Roth about the next room, and the possibility of a spider, given the massive cobwebs.

He also says, "What do you think about throwing something flammable inside and burning away the cobwebs along with whatever is inside?"

Roth whispers back, "I think that sounds like a horrible idea. What if there is something else in the room that the fire would only enrage...or what if the fire travels and traps us?"

Tarian listens to the ranger's advice, but in the end, decides to go ahead with the plan anyway. Roth sighs with his arms folded as Tarian pulls out a bottle of brandy, stuffs a rag in the neck of the bottle, and then lights it.

He looks back to Roth and says, "I will close the door behind me, okay? That should help contain the fire, and I can always come back through if it gets too tough."

Tarian steps into the room and closes the door, but never gets to throw the bottle since he starts to babble incoherently. On the other side of the door, the rest of the group has safely joined Roth.

Roth is waiting for some kind of signal or sign from Tarian to enter the room, but as he waits there he says to the group, "Tarian's plan involved lighting the cobwebs in the next room on fire, but it seems to be taking a bit too long, and I'm feeling like something may have gone wrong."

They carefully open the door and find Tarian standing there with the bottle of lit brandy in his hands babbling to himself. He manages to snap out of it as they join him, and they also see that in the corner of the room there is some kind of spider, and upon closer inspection they see that it is a brain on many legs.

Alex shudders as he senses the evil emanating from the creature, and announces the presence to the group. Lo casts Tiny Hut in the arch of the doorway between the two rooms, hoping to shield the group from the view of the creature. Tarian remembers the lit cocktail in his hand and lobs it out of the tent at the cobwebs. They watch as the room is engulfed in flames that quickly go out and begin to smolder as the remnants of the cobwebs evaporate, leaving the creature to scamper into the tent with them to avoid the flames and heat, and then begins to claw at Tarian. Poppet casts Life Pact on the group while Ellete blasts the creature with Starlight. Roth manages to get one shot in on the creature while Myne casts Magic Fang on Rauros who then attempts to Bull Rush the creature back into the burned room but misses.

Lo shouts out an idea to the rest of the group, "Pin it down, and then throw it in the room with the lightning! Then pull the lever and slam the door!"

He tries to throw his net at the creature but misses, and Mastodon leaps forward, grappling the creature and then turning and throwing it into the lightning room in a great arc. Alex tries to briefly ping his goddess to see if this plan was a good one, and he gets the vague notion that he needs to push forward. With that, he gives a silent nod, pulls the lever, pushes everyone into the charred room, and slams the door shut.

In the charred room, they look around with the aid of Lo's lantern, and along one wall, Tarian is just barely able to make out more scrawled Azlanti writing on the right wall, _Deep below our Lord sleeps, bound in chains._

Myne shudders as Tarian reads it aloud and says with some worry and desperation in her voice, "I am confused about the tower's purpose! We are being tested by forces of good that seem to be expecting us; who are encouraging us to keep going. But these messages, and the evil in this tower...what are we going to find at the top...are we just aiding the agenda of this evil force?"

Roth gives her a comforting hug, and says with as much softness as he can muster, "I know… we're all confused, but we have to keep going. It might be our only way out."

Tarian nods, and heads for the stone door on the other side of the room. He does not sense any traps, but when he pulls on the handle it does not budge. Mastodon carefully shoves Tarian out of the way, and with a small grunt pulls on the door to slide it aside.

The room they look out on is dimly lit by lights floating against the smooth stone walls. The long, narrow room holds their attention as they take in the sight of long, narrow glass tubes that run horizontally along the walls connecting to a large, vertical glass cylinder in the center of the room. Inside the cylinder they see a whirling creature of foamy blue and white: a water elemental. They notice valves on each tube, as if the power of the elemental was being harnessed, and they watch as the water flows through the tubes along the wall to unknown destinations. At the far end of the room, they see another stone door to continue forward. Tarian sneaks across the room to scout out what is beyond, and when he finally musters enough strength to open the door, he sees another hallway beyond. He also notices that one of the glass tubes also continues into the hallway, then turns upward to follow a set of ascending stairs. Tarian relays the information to the group, and despite their curiosity over the purpose of the trapped elemental, they felt that they should leave it alone for consistency's sake. They had found four elementals thus far, and had managed to avoid contact and/or the destruction of each. The group follows Tarian into the hallway and up the stairway. At the top, the hall turns to the left, and then another set of ascending stairs is before them.

 _ **Fortitude's Trial**_

At the top of the stairs, a very large room spreads out in front of them; the largest of any of the rooms they had discovered in the tower thus far. In the center of the room is a huge statuesque individual with the familiar geometric blue patterns covering his body. He has shoulder-length red hair, stout legs covered in grey pants, a shirtless upper body, and six gigantic, muscular arms. He is unarmed, but his hands were clearly powerful enough to be weapons in and of themselves.

At their approach, he booms at them, "I am Fortitude. To find out if you can endure what is further ahead, I must make sure you are worthy to proceed. Answer the following:

 _This certain crime is punishable if attempted, but not if committed_."

Mastodon speaks up confidently, "Suicide."

Fortitude nods and says, "Very good. Well done strong-arm," and here Fortitude cracks his knuckles and continues, "But now to the rest of the test..."

At the threatening gesture and invitation for a fight, Mastodon rushes forward to attack Fortitude with his great sword, hitting Fortitude with a heavy blow. Roth lines up a shot with a sleep arrow that finds its mark but does not put Fortitude to sleep. His second shot hits while his third misses. Tarian attempts to use Frostfang's ability, but since he did not have his eye in for the weapon yet, his throw goes astray. He then maneuvers to the corner of the room to wait for Lo. Poppet casts Ward Hex on Alex while Lo glances over at the rogue who was clearly waiting for him and decides to sing his Inspire Confidence song instead. Myne casts Flaming Sphere, but the rolling ball misses its target while Rauros charges forward and gets a bite in. Alex approaches, but misses with his swing as well. Fortitude flexes his massive upper muscles and delivers punches to Mastodon and Alex with his bottom two sets of arms. He brings the top set of arms up above his head, and slams his hands together, creating a shockwave that shakes everyone except Mastodon, Tarian, and Poppet.

Mastodon swings his great sword again, doing massive damage to Fortitude. Roth takes aim and fires two shots that connect while Tarian tries to stealth, missing his shot and sidestepping away from Lo. Poppet places a Hex Ward on Mastodon to protect him while Lo moves into a corner of the room to cast a yellow Tiny Hut. Myne's flaming sphere is redirected towards Fortitude, but he dodges it again while Myne shapeshifts into a grizzly to join Rauros in the fray, ripping Fortitude with claws and jaws. Alex swings his sword, and grunts in frustration as he sword glances off Fortitude. Fortitude launches a barrage of hits with his massive arms, hitting Mastodon three times with his punches. Mastodon stumbles back slightly from the barrage but stays resolutely on his feet, going into a rage at the beating.

Roth shouts from the back, "Cut him in half!"

Mastodon grins and delivers one massive swing that connects with Fortitude, while his backswing cannot penetrate Fortitude's armor. Roth takes a Called Shot at Fortitude's eye, hitting and causing Fortitude to roar from the loss of the eye. Tarian stealths and takes a Called Shot at the other eye that hits his face, but not in his eye. His second shot misses. Poppet casts Cure Moderate Wounds on Mastodon, trying to help him regain all that he had lost from Fortitude's onslaught. Myne and Rauros take swings at Fortitude, but only Rauros manages to connect with two claws. Alex swings and gets a hit in on Fortitude while Fortitude brings two of his hands together in a slam, causing all but Myne and Roth to become shaken. With Fortitude's other hands, he takes two punches at Mastodon, hitting him with one strong punch.

Mastodon takes two hard swings at Fortitude, connecting with both and doing massive damage to Fortitude. Roth tries a Called Shot on Fortitude's eye again, but both that shot and his second shot from the hip fail to connect. Tarian tries a Called Shot that misses his intended target but still does damage to Fortitude, while his second shot misses. Ellete taps a spell tattoo wrapped around her right wrist, releasing a heal spell on Mastodon. Poppet summons a Quasi-Elemental of Lightning to fight for the group, commanding it to fight Fortitude. Lo tries to cast Blind, but it doesn't work, while Myne's fireball misses again. Myne and Rauros both rip into Fortitude while Alex misses. Fortitude reaches out and grabs hold of both Mastodon and Alex in his massive arms, constricting them and crushing them.

Mastodon tries to break free from Fortitude's grasp, but cannot manage it. Roth takes a Called Shot on an arm holding Mastodon, doing damage to the arm, but Fortitude continues to hold Mastodon, even as Roth's second and third shots hit. Tarian fails to get out of sight, and cannot make his shots connect with Fortitude. Poppet casts Cure Moderate Wounds on Mastodon, and her elemental misses its Thunderbolt. Lo attempts to cast a Hold spell on Fortitude, but it fails, as Myne and Rauros fail to connect with any of their swings. Alex tries to break free from Fortitude's grasp, but cannot manage it either. Fortitude hurls Mastodon and Alex, with Mastodon slamming into Rauros while Alex slides on the floor, with a wall stopping his momentum.

Mastodon pulls himself up in a rage, and Fortitude takes another swing at him as he does, connecting with the enraged half-orc. He slams into Fortitude with his great sword, doing massive damage. Roth takes aim, and delivers two out of three of his arrows that punch into Fortitude's chest. Fortitude leans over, holding himself up with one arm and slowly sitting down cross-legged.

He looks at the group, and respectfully says, "Your resilience is true, and the path before you is now open. One last trial stands between you and release from this place."

As he slowly turns to stone, torches light up on the wall behind him, and the wall opens, revealing an ascending stairway. Myne feels a warm glow at her neck, and her stone choker begins to glow. The stone is replaced with a wooden amulet shaped like a pair of claws in a tribal pattern. Poppet assesses it to be an Amulet of Mighty Claws, giving Myne's strong natural weapons even more power. Myne touches the amulet lovingly, and whispers a silent thanks to the natural elements and Gozreh for the gift.

The group look around at each other, proud to have overcome another trial, but exhausted from their efforts. As one, they decide to rest in the room before continuing on, expecting that once they ascended the stairs, they would be weakened once again. The group sets up their bedrolls to rest and eat while Poppet administers healing spells that she can muster before reaching absolute exhaustion. Roth volunteers to take first watch, and Myne sends Rauros to sit with him. Tarian and Mastodon take the next shifts.


	51. Paradise Lost & Found: 8th of Desnus

**8th of Desnus: Strength, Will, and Hope**

 _ **The Strength to Cross a Room and the Will to Withstand Deception**_

When the group wakes fully rested, they are happy that their watches were not disturbed, and with some trepidation, they ascend the steps, once again feeling the punishing weight of the floor pressing upon them. For some, they can barely stand as they adjust to the floor's pressure. When they can finally focus on the hall laid before them, they see walls of superior masonry, and the floors are a beautiful, natural-looking carved stone. They notice that it feels warmer on this floor than on those below, and the room is lit by glowing crystals placed every 20 feet, throwing strange shadows on the dim hallway. After about 50 feet, the hallway turns 90 degrees, continuing to the left and ending in a large room about 25 feet wide by 40 feet long. The room seems to be an extension of the hallway with similar floor and wall patterns and masonry, and is completely empty other than some glowing crystals on the walls to give off faint light. Roth, Tarian, Myne, and Ellete all notice a door with a lever next to it on the opposite end of the room, and know that there is probably something in the room to deactivate. The group looks from one to the other, and Tarian gives a shrug as he decides to be the test subject to step over the threshold. His knees immediately buckle, and he is shoved to the floor by the sheer pressure and weight in the room. He can do little more than give a desperate look to the others, telling them that he lacks the strength to even stand. Alex decides to test his strength, knowing that the rogue had little to no strength to endure the room. He manages to stay on his feet, but the pressure gets the better of him, and he finds himself unable to move forward.

Myne tugs on Rauros's ear, and with encouragement and pleading in her voice says, "Rauros, we need your strength to do this. Can you cross the room and pull the lever?"

The bear gives her a grunt, then lumbers forward. The group watches the bear brace himself as he steps over the threshold, then slowly pushes forward. The group cheer him on as he presses on across the room, laboring under the weight, and with his last bit of strength pulls the lever down with his huge paws to release the weight spell upon the room. With relief, Tarian gently gets to his feet, and they all cross the room to the door.

When Tarian reaches the wooden door, he finds some kind of mechanical lock on the door. He carefully attempts to disable the lock, but feels unconfident in his attempt, asking for another try to get the door to give. He succeeds, and the group smiles as they hear a * _click_ * noise. When the door swings open, they see another hallway beyond that loops around in a long 180-degree path. At the end of the hallway, they see a smaller room than the last. As Tarian carefully enters, he senses a proximity trap on the floor, and smells a metallic odor in the room. He carefully steps forward to disable a trap that would likely set off some kind of electric discharge, letting out a sigh of relief as he feels the trap give to his efforts.

On one side of the wall, they see Azlanti writing scrawled on the wall, and Tarian reads it confidently, _The Black Throne shall rise again. The Mother shall be chained._

They shudder at the dark words, and see a door across the room to hastily continue forward. The wooden door is also locked, and Tarian expertly picks the lock on the first try, swinging the door open to reveal another hallway. The light is still dim, and they press forward about 30 feet before the hallway loops around to the left, and after another 20 feet they come out to a small, square room. There is a sour odor in the room, and as they look around they see a tile mosaic of a mask with slits for eyes on the floor. The remains of a wooden shield lie broken on the floor, and they see other pieces of rotting wood throughout the room. They also see another door set into the same side of the wall, this one quite ornate. It is closed, and as Tarian tests it, he finds it locked, but does not sense any traps. The room's contents were eerie, and the group tries to stay on their guard as Tarian picks the lock, and carefully releases the latch on the door.

Tarian gasps and rushes into the room as he sees Myne face down on the floor, blood pooling out from beneath her, gasping as she tries to get up, and calling out for him.

He screams, "Poppet! Heal Myne! Please!"

He reaches her side, removes his cloak and wraps it around his daughter with his eyes welling up with tears.

At the same time, Roth grits his teeth as he sees his father in the center of the room with his leg badly injured, blood dripping onto the floor from the wound. He looks around the room to find the cause of his injuries, draws his bow and nocks an arrow when he sees Isidorian troops attempting to leave the room a short distance away. He begins firing on the troops, hoping to bring down those that injured his father.

Alex's face goes white, and he drops his sword and shield when he sees Sara in the middle of the room, on her knees and sobbing. Her red robes were tattered, and her hair was in disarray, yet he did not detect the overwhelming sense of an evil presence as he had in the past. She was whole, unlike her possessed state; his lover returned to him but in some kind of pain or distress. He rushes into the room, desperate to comfort her, kneeling beside her to check her status as she continues to sob.

Rauros goes alert, as if he sees a small creature to kill, and barrels into the room to try to bring down the prey.

The rest of the group look at Alex, Roth, Tarian, and Rauros with a mixture of confusion and desperation as they watch Alex, Tarian, and Rauros rush into the room towards a giant plant-like creature that begins to slowly envelop them in outstretched pods, while near them Roth fires arrows into the corner of the room. The act of their desperation and mindlessness tells the rest of the group that they are seeing things that are not there, and hearing Tarian's desperate scream to aid Myne, and the paleness of Alex's face as he tries to comfort a lover tells them that what they are seeing is very real for them. As they look around the room they see that there are floating specks of spores in the air that must have caused their hallucinations.

Mastodon rushes forward to attack one of the pods that was enveloping Tarian, who was unaware of what was actually happening to him. Mastodon watches as Tarian cries, trying to put his cloak over the pod, and Mastodon takes a swing at the pod, hitting with his first swing but missing his second. Tarian sees Sara appear, attempting to attack Myne with a powerful flame spell; Alex sees Kyus appear to pull Sara back with him, away from Alex; and Roth sees the Isidorian troops renew their attacks on his father. Lo pulls out his lute to play Inspire Courage, seeing the desperation of their group to free the others from the hallucination. Poppet casts Black Tentacles, allowing them to burst out of the floor to hold Tarian, Alex, and Rauros in place (hoping to protect them from themselves) but also injuring them slightly from the crushing grip.

Those hallucinating see their loved ones being pulled away by their assailants, and they desperately reach out to save them. Alex crawls towards Mastodon, seeing Kyus, and tries to grab hold of his legs. Mastodon manages to hold his ground despite the desperate paladin's best efforts. Tarian sees Myne being dragged away by Sara, and with every ounce of strength he has he tries to break free from something that was holding him back from being able to save his daughter. He screams at his inability to break free, watching helplessly as Sara drags Myne away by the collar of her shirt, smearing blood on the floor in a trail. Roth sees the Isidorian troops pulling his father away, the soldiers bringing his father to his knees before binding his hands and feet.

Roth shouts out in desperation, "Save my father!" as he nocks another arrow.

Rauros tries to break free from the tentacles, clearly thinking that his squirrel was about to be taken away by a rival bear, but he cannot pull away from the tentacles holding him in place.

Myne uses her magic to reach out to the plant's mind, understanding its language and then lying to it, "I know you must be hungry, but these creatures will not sate your hunger. They are poisonous and pointy, they will hurt and sicken you!"

The plant regards her curiously, and in a soft whisper says, "But I have not eaten in over a thousand years. I am hungry for meat."

Myne nods and says, "I understand your need, but you would do better to not eat these ones, especially after a thousand years! They will only disappoint you!"

The plant begins to slowly open its pods, releasing Myne's allies from its grasp as it says, "Very well. But I am so hungry."

Myne nods graciously at the plant and says, "I think I have some meat in my pack! We can give you good food in trade."

As Mastodon watches the girl speak to the plant, he sees her pulling meat out of her pack, and also pulls out meat from his rations to help placate the hungry plant. They toss the rations at the base of the plant, bowing in thanks for their friends' release.

The spores in the room dissipate, and Poppet dispels her Black Tentacles to release their comrades. Those that were hallucinating shake their heads as their visions recede, and they are left standing in front of a giant plant, breathing deeply from their visions and looking back to their comrades for answers with their eyes wide.

Poppet holds onto Myne's shoulder to express a job well done, and then looks to Roth, Alex and Tarian to explain with a soft and comforting voice, "You were seeing things that were not there...it must have been a hallucination induced by the plant. Some of us were able to withstand the deception...It will not harm us now."

Myne shudders as she looks at Tarian, his desperate screams for her still echoing in her head, and watches him turn towards her, pale but with a look of relief.

She flushes, and tries to calm him by saying, "It is okay...we are all unharmed."

Alex runs his hands through his hair, feeling taken aback at seeing his lover. As he looks around, disoriented and pale, Poppet backtracks to the door to retrieve the paladin's sword and shield. She makes her way slowly to Alex, holding the weapons out before him. Slowly, Alex registers Poppet in front of him, and reaches out to grab his sword and shield with white-knuckled intensity. Roth lowers his bow with a look of quiet embarrassment at being deceived by the plant. He lets out a sigh, and lowers his gaze to let the vision of his father dissipate. Rauros shakes his head, looking around in confusion for his quarry, and then lumbers back to Myne with a look of disappointment.

Mastodon nods as he watches those that had hallucinated gain control of their senses and says, "We should press on. Do not linger on your visions, they will do naught but harm."

The group begins to traverse the huge room, giving the plant in the center a wide berth, despite Myne's confidence that it would not attack them. They see another door on the other side of the room, and begin to make their way towards it.

Myne lingers near Tarian, seeing that he was taking longer than the others to pull himself together as the rest of the group begins to move towards the other end of the room. His actions under the hallucination had unnerved her, especially since Alex and Roth had seen intense visions of loved ones in danger. Before their coming-of-age celebration in Kassen, Tarian was a stranger to her, and even through their travels she was not particularly close to the rogue; she greatly disapproved of his disregard for laws and his own safety to acquire wealth. Tarian sees the druid looking at him with compassion and curiosity, and he clenches his teeth and fists as he is finally able to get to his feet; he could tell she wanted answers.

He allows her to guide him to a far wall in the room, away from the rest of the group, and she eyes him with wild intensity before quietly saying, "Why me? Why me in pain for you? I am nothing to you."

Tarian takes a deep breath, and swallows hard as he says with a slow but evasive voice, "There are things that have not been revealed to you yet, Myne..."

Myne crosses her arms, trying to maintain her composure as Poppet's harrow reading comes to the forefront of her mind, with 'The Foreign Trader' marked as Tarian by Poppet, there in her reading.

She hears Poppet's words as an echo, _Perhaps it has more to do with a secret being kept from you, rather than Tarian himself. Or perhaps it's both…_

Myne takes a slow breath, and gives Tarian an expectant look, allowing the intensity of her eyes to do the talking, as if to say, _What things?_

Tarian looks away from her intense glare, swallowing again. He resigns himself that now was the time to let it come out; the druid would haunt him over it if he didn't.

He sighs and swallows again, near tears, and tries to look her in the eyes as he says in a quiet voice filled with emotion, "You are my daughter."

Myne's eyes instantly widen, and unable to control herself she shouts out, " _WHAT!?_ "

Myne looks away from Tarian with tears in her eyes, shaking uncontrollably and balling her fists in rage and emotion.

She finally turns back to him with a lower voice, her words tumbling out, "Why? Why didn't you tell me? We have traveled together for months, and all this time…"

Tarian closes his eyes and turns his face away from hers, and tries to soothe her with a soft and ashamed voice, "I... I thought you would be expecting more…"

Myne shakes her head at him, her words still spilling out as tears fall down her cheeks, "If my mother loved you, then that is enough!"

Tarian turns back to her, puts a hand on her shoulder to comfort her and says, "There is trouble that follows me...neither your mother nor I wanted to risk your safety by revealing my name."

Myne puts her hands over her face, openly crying in front of Tarian, and in a rage of emotion tries to push Tarian away from her, but with her strength drained and her mind reeling, she can only manage to pound gently on his chest before giving up.

She turns away from him in turmoil and rage with her hands balled into fists at her side, and through her tears she says, "I need some time."

As she turns away from him, Tarian lets out a sigh of emotion and leans against the wall, holding back tears of his own as he watches his daughter stumble away, her tears splattering on the tiled floor.

The rest of the group hears Myne's scream, and turn to see Myne and Tarian in an animated discussion on the far side of the room. They wonder among themselves what the rogue and druid would have to talk about, but know that it probably had something to do with Tarian's hallucination. They stay back, allowing them to have their private conversation, and after a while they see Myne coming towards them with red-rimmed eyes and the tracks of tears on her cheeks. Tarian follows after her, allowing the druid her space, and the group also sees that he has a cloudy expression as he approaches the door to try to unlock it.

Lo clears his throat and whispers to Tarian, "There is Azlanti writing here. We need you to translate when you're ready...What the hell happened over there, Tarian?"

Tarian runs his hands through his hair again, trying to clear his head and focus on the task at hand. He gives Lo a look that told the bard he would not be discussing his talk with Myne at that moment, and Lo gives him an understanding nod, allowing the rogue to focus on the inscription.

Tarian swallows down more emotion that wells up, and coughs to clear his throat as he focuses on the writing, saying, "It's a riddle:

 _There are four brothers in the world all born together._

 _The first runs and never wearies;_

 _The second eats and is never full;_

 _The third drinks and is always thirsty;_

 _The fourth sings a song that is never good_."

As Tarian reads out the riddle, Myne covers her face with her hands again, trying to control her emotion. While Poppet was unsure of what the rogue had said to Myne, she knew it must have been something of immense importance to the druid, and she sees that Roth too was concerned for his companion. Poppet carefully approaches Myne, indicating to Roth that she would comfort the girl so he could try to focus on the riddle, and allows Myne to curl up in her arms to quietly cry.

As the group talks among themselves about the riddle, Poppet gives Myne a squeeze before looking up to say to them, "It sounds like the elements, but I am unsure of the fit for each line...the wind sings..."

Lo nods and says, "Fire consumes…"

Myne looks up, controlling her emotion to say with a wavering voice, "A river runs, and the earth drinks."

Poppet nods and says out loud, "Water, Fire, Earth, and Wind."

The inscription glows bright blue, and the door slides up to reveal a set of ascending stairs. Tarian takes the lead, checking for traps as they make their way to the top of the steps that open into a very large room with platforms; in between which is nothing but a dark abyss.

 _ **Hope's Trial**_

The group takes in the sight of the huge room, and the dangerous drop-offs in between nine equally-spaced platforms i grid, with them standing on the middle platform of the first row. Floating above the center platform they see the familiar features of one of the guardians, his skin tracing the same blue lines across his skin. He is a human figure wearing dark robes and carrying a wooden staff with a smooth red orb set into the top.

He smiles at them and says, "Welcome, I am Hope. It is ironic that many of my comrades had little hope that you would reach this place, but you have defied that. There is only me that stands between you and the end of the nightmare."

Prepping for battle, Tarian uses his grappling hook to latch onto the platform diagonally, one platform up and to the left. When he attempts to swing across, he feels his grip loosen and immediately uses his boon from Kassen to make it across the gap. Roth nocks a blunt arrow, and aims a Called Shot at the orb on top of the staff. The arrow smacks into the orb, doing a small amount of damage to the orb, but not knocking it out of the staff. His second shot at Hope misses its target. Hope brings his staff in front of him to cast a spell, and is immediately engulfed in a black aura. The orb glows, and then the whole staff and the black aura disappear to be replaced with a medium-sized black dragon. Alex casts Knight's Calling on himself, but Hope is not compelled to fight him. Poppet casts Enlarge Person on Mastodon, who then runs and jumps to the center platform to confront Hope, using his momentum from the jump to deliver a heavy blow to the dragon. Myne shapeshifts into a Giant Falcon, grabs Rauros in her talons and flies up, delivering the bear onto the center platform to claw and slash at the dragon, but Rauros misses his strikes. Lo casts an orange Tiny Hut on their platform to hide the group from view.

Tarian uses the magical power in his Frostwake dagger, doing damage to the dragon and draining its energy as the magic leaves a frosty trail behind it. Roth fires three arrows, but they all glance harmlessly off its hide. Hope breathes in, and then spews a cone of green acid in front of it, hitting all that did not move out of the range of its head. Alex, Lo, Rauros, and Poppet take massive damage from the acid, while Roth, Mastodon, and Ellete manage to dodge and avoid some of the damage. Lo and Rauros fall unconscious, bleeding out on the stones while Ellete drops out of the air, also unconscious but not bleeding out. With rage, Alex runs and jumps to make it to the center platform, but nearly misses the jump, grabbing the platform with one arm, and barely holding on. Poppet heals Ellete, and then jumps to the platform to her right, with Ellete following her and casting a Cure Light Wounds to bring Poppet back from near unconsciousness. Mastodon turns and pulls Alex up from his dangling position, grimacing as the dragon takes a swipe at his back as he does so. Myne flies down, desperate to heal her companion and casts Cure Moderate Wounds on Rauros, bringing him back to his feet to slash at the dragon. Lo lays helpless on the ground, unable to bring himself back from unconsciousness. The dragon's breath had brought the group to its knees, and they all hastily tried to revive their fallen comrades and restore their strength before the dragon could take those that had not fallen.

Tarian attempts a Called Shot on one of the dragon's front claws, but it misses, and his second shot off the hip misses as well. Roth bends down to Lo's prone body and drains a Cure Moderate Wounds potion into his lips. He wakes, and with the help of Roth reaching out an arm to help, is pulled to his feet to continue fighting. Hope growls and unleashes a snapping bite at Mastodon, then tries to claw at him, connecting with one and then almost slashing itself with the other. He spreads his wings to hit Rauros and Alex on either side of him, hitting Rauros while Alex manages to dodge the hit. Alex takes two swings but misses his target, shouting out in frustration that his dodge of the dragon's wing made him off-balance for his own strikes. Poppet feels the magic in the air, sensing its location, and then casts Dispel Magic, removing the magic that Hope used to transform. The dragon pops out of existence, and the robed figure of Hope reappears. Mastodon's first swing at his new target misses, but the backswing catches the thin wizard off guard, doing massive damage to him. Myne flies down, eyeing the powerful wooden staff in Hope's hand, and casts Warp Wood on it. The wood twists and bends in Hope's hand, warping and writhing until the orb set in the top falls out of its setting. It hits the platform, and splits in half, and Hope drops the remains of this twisted staff with a look of frustration at losing his powerful weapon. Rauros attempts to slash at the wizard, but his claws do not find a purchase. Not wanting to be caught bunched together, Lo decides to jump to the platform to his left to break up the group and the number of splash damage targets. He misjudges the distance, and desperately reaches out to grab the nearby platform, just barely catching the edge with one hand to save himself from falling into the abyss.

Roth shouts out words of encouragement as he watches his comrade attempt to pull himself up, shouting, "You can do it!"

With Hope in his smaller form, Tarian attempts to snag and bind the wizard with his grappling hook. He takes aim, throws the hook, but misses his target, and the hook lands harmlessly on the platform at Hope's feet. Roth takes aim with two arrows, the first missing while the other one hits. Hope points skyward, and then brings his hand down in one sweep, releasing a bolt of lightning that strikes Alex for massive damage. Still reeling from the pain, Alex misses both of his swings at Hope while Poppet casts a Healing Hex on Alex to restore him from the strike. Mastodon lunges forward, missing with both his swings while Myne casts Flame Strike, using her boon to do massive damage with the spell while Rauros rips into Hope with all his claws. Lo manages to pull himself up from where he was dangling, and then summons his lute to play Inspire Courage.

Tarian pulls back his grappling hook and throws it at Hope again, this time wrapping the hook and rope around the figure of Hope, and with the successful lasso Tarian shouts out, "Grab him!"

Roth takes aim with two arrows that both find their marks while Hope releases a gust of wind at Myne in flight, blowing her back to slam against a back wall. Alex swings and misses with both of his shots again while Mastodon delivers a massive overhead blow that causes Hope to curl into a ball above the platform.

The group is relieved to see the areas of deep abyss replaced with solid stone flooring, making the large room safe to traverse.

Hope floats down, landing on the platform he had been hovering above and says, "It is done. Proceed. Never lose sight of the hope you hold, even when in the darkest of places."

The figure begins to turn to stone, and behind them they see a door open for them, revealing a set of ascending stairs. Roth feels a warmth from his pack, and opens it to find his Thundering Longbow glowing. He pulls it out to watch it as it glows and morphs slightly in his hands. When the glow fades, he sees that the bow looks longer, and there are intricate elven patterns carved into the bow. Poppet assesses its new properties, and tells Roth that he now has a +2 Shocking Longbow of Thundering. He gasps at the power that had been added to an already powerful weapon. He admires it lovingly, understanding that the consistency of the bow gifted by Myne would have to be weighed heavily against a bow that could produce such powerful results on his perfect shots.

 _ **A Father's Love**_

With the room safe to traverse, the group feels their weariness setting in, and decide to rest after their ordeal. They set up their bedrolls in a close circle in Hope's massive room, and sit together to eat a meal of dwindling rations. Poppet circulates through them, expending her magic to heal the group as best as she can. Myne is pensive and quiet as she leans against Roth's chest with her legs pulled up to her chin. She gives glances to Tarian, who was sitting across from them, tipping back a wine bottle and equally lost in quiet contemplation. Myne finally makes up her mind, and stands resolutely, never taking her eyes off Tarian. She crosses over to him, kneeling in front of him and looking at him carefully.

Tarian puts down his bottle, and quietly says, "Yes, Myne?"

The rest of the group goes quiet, hoping to understand what had transpired between the two, and Myne gives a cursory look to her comrades before taking a deep breath, focusing on Tarian and saying, "I know she loved you...just from the way she looked and spoke whenever I asked her about my father. Tell me...did you love her?"

Tarian also gives a look around the room, seeing the eyes of their companions widen at Myne's statement, _They know_.

Tarian gives a nod of acknowledgement to the group; an admittance and confirmation of Myne's words, and answers, "For that spring and summer, yes, I did...but I did not know that I had...I did not know about you until I arrived in Kassen before the ceremony. That spring and summer, I was on the hunt for a group that had made camp near Kassen, and I met her rather fortuitously..."

Tarian unties his shirt strings and pulls back the fabric from around his left shoulder, revealing a raised, star-shaped scar on his chest as he continues, "She saved my life, Myne. You are named for the flower that saved my life, and that piece I only learned from Brynn the night before the ceremony. So, for me...I have only been a father for a few months, watching you carefully, and trying to care for you without your knowledge. I just was not ready to tell you..."

He watches as Myne's eyes well up with tears at his earnest words, and then is taken by surprise when she lunges forward to hold him, grasping him tightly and crying into his shoulder.

She cries out, "Father!" before returning to sobs.

He reaches out and holds her tightly, kissing the top of her head in much the same way he had done for Brynn, finally relieved that he could comfort her as a father, knowing that she had accepted him.

The group sleeps soundly and with little care or concern for danger. They were all exhausted from the draining magic of the tower, some had their will tested, and some had come close to death. Whatever could lie at the top of the next flight of steps held no fear for them any longer.


	52. Paradise Lost & Found: 9th of Desnus

**9th of Desnus:** **The Gift of Love & Destiny's Chance**

 _ **Love's Gift**_

The group is quiet as they pack up their belongings in the morning, and with some trepidation, they ascend the stairs to face whatever would be waiting for them. When they reach the top of the stairs, they find themselves at a dead end. Immediately in front of them is a round platform similar to the one that brought them up the tower to begin with. They see that in the ceiling above is a shaft that ascends further than they can see. Tarian steps forward, knowing what would happen, and the group watches as the platform begins to glow a bluish-green hue. They all step onto the platform, and with each member the platform glows brighter. When they are all on the platform, it begins to slowly rise into the shaft. The walls around them glow with a strange energy, and they see currents of power running up the wall as they continue to ascend. The platform finally slows down, and comes to a halt when it reaches the rooftop.

They feel a seaside breeze blow through their hair as they look out on an amazing panoramic vista of the island. When they step off the platform, they feel their strength and vigor return to them, lifting the pain and pressure from their shoulders. They look around at the rooftop, and see that there are columns arranged in a ring, and in the center of the columns stands a slender figure with the similar skin patterns as the previous trials. She has short metallic hair that drapes just past her ears, and is dressed in a robe of opalescent white. She smiles and slowly walks towards the group.

When she is standing before them, she says, "Welcome, Pathfinders. I am Love. We are the virtues, sent by the gods to test you. We had to be certain that you would be the ones that would bring us back from the brink. The world is yours, and as such the gods take a limited role in its fate. It is their belief that it is heroes like yourselves that will ultimately decide Golarion's future. No, it is more than that, not just their belief, but the mother goddess's belief as well, the one that created not only the gods, but all living souls on this world."

Love turns to Alex, and he lowers his eyes under her gaze as she continues, "Alex, you are the last to receive your gift. You have been pursuing love that you have lost."

At her words, Alex's armor begins to glow with a bright white intensity. When the glow recedes, he sees that the Songsteel symbols remain, but the symbols of Iomedae have been added to the motif. The armor glows brilliantly in the sun, and Poppet assesses it to be +4 Plate Mail Armor of Invulnerability, which she whispers to Alex as it emits a strong aura of magic. He would truly be impenetrable.

Alex's eyes well up in thanks, and he gives Love a bow and a quiet, "Thanks" for her gift.

She smiles at his words of thanks, then turns to the rest of the group and says, "If you have any questions, and I'm sure you do, I can answer some of them for you. If you do not have any questions, I still have much to tell you."

The group is silent for a while, taking in the sight of Love before them and the view from the top of the tower. With the tower's challenges and ordeals overcome, many were still reveling in the peace and rest that the rooftop gave them.

Myne finally finds her voice and says, "Where are we? _When_ are we?"

Love says, "This place, this city, was home to the Azlanti until the Starstone fell. It then became home to a sect that believed it was Eden that had destroyed their homeland. Anger and fear led them to their worship of Abaddon, believing his resurrection would save them from Eden's wraith. This Organization, once known as the Shrouds of Abaddon, is led by Kyus, and has been for many years. He is merely a pawn, though a dangerous one at that.

"None at the time knew that it was, in fact, Abaddon that pulled the Starstone from the sky where Eden slumbered. In the Azlanti's greed for more power they partially unlocked the seal and chains that bound Abaddon. With even a portion of strength returned, Abaddon reached out for his nemesis, the slumbering Eden, and pulled her down from the sky, plunging her into the sea. Your scholars would reference this event as Earthfall. It would be thousands of years before the power of Aroden, the last true Azlanti and the living god, would be able to raise the Starstone out of the sea to rest in Absalom. At the same time, the Shrouds built their organization over the eons, and for a long time they remained on the outskirts of society. It was not until the death of Aroden that they found a weakened Absalom, and access to the Starstone. They would use the Starstone's power, Eden's power which sealed Abaddon away so long ago, to reverse the process and attempt to free him. The chains that bind Abaddon were put there through Eden, and it is through Eden that those chains can be broken. By combining the chaotic energies of Abaddon with Eden's own, it can be done. This was the Organization's first attempt to free him, and history repeated itself: when the chains of Abaddon weakened, he lashed out in rage, this time destroying the Starstone, sending its fragments scattering across the world, and resulting in the destruction of Absalom and much of the Inner Sea.

"Even after this shattering, the remnants of the Shrouds persisted, lurking in the shadows, abandoning their name and waiting for another opportunity to raise their god. That opportunity came with Kyus: an intelligent, and influential man who spent many of his days researching the past. He learned of the excavation by the Azlanti prior to Earthfall. He found the place where his master slumbers, and now intends to wake him.

"That place lies directly below the capital city of the empire you know as Isidore. Kyus is no fool, he has played this out in every way that puts him at the advantage. For years he built his influence with the ruling family of Isidore, becoming their top advisor. After the passing of the emperor that ended the Ten-Year War, he began to make his move. The empress fell under his spell, and he weaved his way to become the true power behind the empire. The resources of Isidore were put to work for his cause, excavating the ruins of Abaddon, collecting shards of the Starstone, and stirring up war, strengthening Abaddon from its chaos. You Seven are now ready to bring an end of Kyus's rule. The capital is your next and final destination."

Love looks around at the group after her explanation of where they were and what they were meant to do, and sees the group looking back at her with a mixture of understanding and trepidation at their task. They had to find their way to Isidore, stop Kyus from breaking open the seals that held Abaddon at bay, or risk the destruction of the world again.

Tarian flexes his blackened hand and says, "Does the black ichor have anything to do with his plans?"

Love nods and says, "It is the blood of Abaddon, and it seeps through the world unchecked."

Lo thinks on this and says, "Can we harness this power?"

Love grimaces and says, "Kyus is already tapping into this power using hardened crystals. They are the polar opposite of the Starstone. They are rare, since it requires time for the blood to solidify, but they are powerful."

Tarian continues this line of thought with, "Is there a way to counteract something that has been corrupted?"

Love nods at this, and says, "Only through Eden's power can it be completely obliterated. Eden still remains in a perilous state, since she used the remains of her strength to seal Abaddon away as the Starstone."

Tarian seems to understand the direness of his situation and asks, "Is there a way to return strength to Eden?"

Love seems to sigh and says, "She needs time."

Alex had been pensive since receiving his gift, and reflected back upon his hallucination, _Was it even possible to see Sara whole again?_

Out loud he says, "What has become of the body and soul of my love Sara?"

Love turns a caring face to Alex and says, "She remains trapped in the body that hers, but she is dwindling from it."

Alex sighs, and swallows hard as he asks, "How do we save her without killing her?"

Love gives him a look of concern as she says, "You must weaken her first, and then use the crystals to cleanse the demonic force that has taken over her."

Alex nods in understanding, feeling uplifted from her hopeful words. Not all hope was lost, and there was a way for them to get her back. It was within their power to do so.

Roth shifts his weight, crossing his arms, and thinks. Most of the time when presented with a formidable force of evil, he had done his best to prepare himself for facing that evil.

He looks at Love and says, "Does Kyus have any weaknesses?"

Love thinks for a moment before saying, "Kyus is intelligent and manipulative. He will depend upon those who work for him to be his first line of defense...He is not physically strong."

For Myne, the thoughts of Kyus bring forth the image of the red dragon that he rode upon, and she asks, "What of the dragon?"

Love sighs and says, "It will be a force to be reckoned with. It has been manipulated to aid Kyus's cause. The dragon sees the release of Abaddon to be a benefit to its own existence."

Tarian sighs, racking his brain for any more information that they can ask of Love, and finally says, "Will this be the last time we speak with you?"

Love nods and says, "It is likely..."

Tarian feels his sense of humor rise to the surface and pulls a card out of his pocket, handing it to Love and saying, "Well, here is my card. It will tell you everything you need to know about my guild, just in case."

He gives Love a wink, and Love gives him a look of complete incomprehension at his actions.

Alex gives Tarian a smack across the jaw for his display, and Love recovers from her confusion to say, "When you are ready, the platform behind you will take you out of the tower, and allow you to go wherever you want to go."

At her words, they turn to see the platform glow bright blue, and she continues, "It is your destiny."

The group begins to turn away towards the platform, with Alex and Myne dropping to a knee in thanks for Love's gifts before joining their companions on the platform. When they are all on the platform, it glows a brighter blue and then begins to descend at a frantic pace, leaving Love's figure behind. They watch in awe as it passes all the floors they labored and fought their way up through. When they reach the first floor, the look out on the entrance that started them on their way up the tower just days ago, and are amazed when the platform continues to descend. They see that they are in some kind of tunnel with green and blue line patterns that follow them down, and then they finally come out of the tunnel into a cave. The platform slows gently before settling into a base.

 _ **Destiny's Chance**_

The group stands still a moment, taking in the sight of the cave, and the nearby entrance where they can see blue skies and hear the crashing of waves. The entrance opens to the ocean, and they take in the refreshing salty air in great breaths. The other feature of the cave that has them awestruck is the sight of the magnificent form of a ship docked in the shallow waters. It is a 150-foot-long and 40-foot-wide war ship, complete with metal plating on the side of the hull, and a quarter deck enclosed with long windows. There are sails on the sides of the quarter deck, but they notice that there are no masts, instead there is a massive inflated sack hanging in netting above the deck from the bow to the stern. It looks as though it has been hidden away for many years, yet they notice a gangplank has been erected, and they see figures carrying supplies up onto the ship.

One figure stands at the base of the gangplank, seemingly directing everyone. He is wearing an extravagant hat, and the group recognizes the magnificent sight of Coronal.

As he lifts his head and sees the group, he gives them a huge, excited smile, pointing and exclaiming at the ship before saying, "Hey guys! Look at this ship!"

The group smile back at him, and find their feet responsive as they make their way towards Coronal.

When they get closer, Roth smiles at the sight of Coronal practically beside himself with glee and asks, "How did you get this ship? This is perfect!"

Coronal smiles and offers up an explanation by saying, "When you guys left, we continued searching the island, and I found this cave, and this ship!"

Tarian lets out a sigh of awe and enthusiasm over the sight of the magnificent ship, but notices Kamara's absence and carefully asks, "Where is Kamara?"

Coronal's face falls slightly at the mention of his wife, and he carefully says, "Keep your distance...she is not in a good mood. She's still upset about losing her ship."

He looks up to the deck of the ship, and the group follows his gaze, seeing the form of Kamara on the ship, wearing a pout as she organizes supplies. Lo grins as he looks the ship over and a thought occurs to him.

He turns to Coronal and asks, "Have you named the ship yet?"

Coronal's face brightens in realization as he says, "No! Not yet! But all it takes is a good name, a bottle of wine, and a prayer, right? We're almost ready to launch too!"

Tarian begins to paw through his pack for an unopened bottle of wine as the group thinks about a possible name for Coronal's new ship. Coronal stands, deep in thought with his hand on his chin as they begin talking over each other, rattling off potential names.

In the wash of words, Myne tentatively says, "Destiny's Chance?"

Coronal's eyes widen at the name, and says, "I have a name that's risky and grandiose: Destiny's Chance! Quick, where's the bottle? Okay, there's gotta be one person here that's on the good side of the gods, right? We need a prayer."

Tarian produces the bottle, handing it the Coronal, who holds the neck like a club as Myne steps forward shyly, dropping to her knees to offer up a prayer.

As Coronal smashes the bottle over the bow of the ship, Myne says, "May the sea rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your stern. May the sun shine warm upon your decks; the rains fall soft upon your sails and when you sail, may Gozreh hold you in the palm of their hand."

After she stands, Coronal claps his hands together excitedly and says, "Alright, let's board this vessel!"

Alex steps forward, "Coronal-"

"Captain Coronal...this is my ship!"

"Captain Coronal, we are still in great need of you. We must reach Isidore, and our best guess is that if we make it back through the fog, we will find ourselves back where we left. This place does not seem to exist in normal space and time, so we do not know what we will find on the other side of the fog."

Coronal nods and says, "We have a deal, paladin. I will get ye to your destination."

Coronal takes the lead, and the group follows him up the gangplank to begin exploring the new ship. It looks like any other ship for the most part, but they can tell that the vessel is of a master's quality and craftsmanship. The crew's quarters are much more spacious and private than what they were accustomed to, being larger and with only two beds per room, storage chests, and even a door that they could close behind them. They walk through other parts of the ship that they would have expected to find in any other vessel as well: a large and beautiful galley and mess hall, munitions room, and five canons on either side of the ship. When they make their way to the hull, they walk through a large cargo area before finding Kamara staring curiously at a massive eight-foot by eight-foot metal door set into a walled-off section of the hull.

She has two workers trying to pry the door open, and to the group and Coronal she says, "There is some kind of complex locking mechanism on the door... can you help me open this? Half of the hull's space is unaccounted for!"

Tarian whispers to Lo, "I need some time to examine the door, maybe we can get this open when no one else is around…"

Alex seems to guess at what the rogue was scheming, and attempts to figure out the door himself, but the complex series of locks and mechanisms was far beyond what he could figure out. Everyone near the door takes a step back when they hear a loud roaring sound from behind the door, and the hairs on the back of Poppet's neck stand up as she realizes that the sound was in Auran, the language of the air elementals. She listens intently to the roaring, and realizes that if it could swear, it was swearing up a storm.

With a tentative but urgent voice she says, "Step away from the door."

She holds her ground, eyes fixated on the door until she realizes that no one else has moved; everyone had turned a questioning look at the sylph.

Poppet takes a step forward, listening to shouting from beyond the metal and explains, "There is an air elemental locked inside, and it does not like being bound. If we open the door and release it, the best-case scenario is that the ship will simply cease to work…"

She trails off at a particularly vicious snarl from the elemental, her own anger rising with each shout. Poppet understood how much elementals of air loathed any sort of captivity; she had always taken efforts to avoid binding entities of air and winds in her summons, instead drawing forth beings of lightning that at least appreciated the opportunities to jump into battle. To hear the elemental beyond the lock…

She was upset about the elemental's imprisonment, and with a testy voice she continues, "Much of the ancient Azlanti technology seems to work by the binding and usage of the elementals' energy and force."

Kamara backs away and looks at Poppet seriously, asking, "So we should just let it be, then?"

Poppet sighs, knowing that despite her own nature demanding she free the elemental, she would have to simply let things be for now.

She eyes Tarian, who still has a look of curiosity on his face and points a delicate finger at him as she says, "Leave the door alone!"

Tarian raises his hands in mock supplication to the witch, and says, "Okay, okay, I promise."

They leave the hull as it is, with Poppet giving a lasting glance to the huge metal door before they all make their way to the upper levels of the ship.

One of the crew members approaches Coronal, saluting him and saying, "Everything is packed on board. We are ready for launch, Captain."

Coronal nods, and looks to the group saying, "If you have not seen the quarterdeck yet, it is quite the sight. Make your way there or up on the top deck. I imagine this launch will be something worth having a good view for."

 _ **Launching Towards Isidore**_

The group makes their way to the quarterdeck where they see complex-looking levers and other mechanisms in a large, comfortable room with an entire wall of glass for the group to look out upon the waves. Coronal nods and takes his place at the wheel, with Kamara examining the levers and gears. Most of the group decide to stay in the quarterdeck for launch, making themselves comfortable and watching Coronal and Kamara with interest, or gazing out the windows at the sea.

Roth stands near the windows to watch the water lap around the ship in deep thoughts of their brief rest and relief from their ordeal, with Isidore unseen on the horizon, but puts the thoughts away with a smile as he feels the soft touch of Myne when she takes his hand in hers and rests her head against his shoulder to watch the launch. Alex and Poppet decide they want to be on deck for launch, and hastily make their way topside, standing near the bow of the ship and taking in the sea air as it blows around them.

With the ship ready for launch, Coronal and Kamara at the helm, and the crew in place, Coronal gives the call to move ahead forward, and finds a switch mechanism that he plays with to work out the speed of the ship. Kamara cranks a shifter up, and the group feels a sense of movement as the ship slowly wades out of the cave.

When clear of the cave and the shallow waters of the shore, Coronal gives the call, "All ahead full!" and Kamara cranks the shifter to the floor.

The ship lurches forward with such force that Alex is knocked backwards, hitting the deck with a * _clang_ * of armor. The rest of the group must steady themselves from the movement, but manage to stay on their feet as they watch the ship build up speed over the open water.

In the quarterdeck, the group watches as the windows begin to fog up, collecting dew as they enter the mysterious fog that they had entered just four days before. It seems to take them no time at all before the ship bursts through the quiet fog into the open sunlight and open waters, trailing vapor in their wake. On deck, Alex gasps as he sees Isidorian ships almost in the same place that he recalled seeing them four days ago.

He hears cannon fire, and in the quarterdeck the group hears Coronal shout, "In the name of Cayden Cailean! They're still here! What are we going to do?! I don't want them to blow up my beautiful ship!"

As if on cue, they hear a booming voice come over a cone-shaped apparatus in the cabin, "Leave this to me, you frail creatures! There is a latch at your foot; release it, Captain."

Coronal looks around the deck at Kamara and the group, and then down at his feet where he sees a pedal attached to the wheel. The group realize they are hearing the voice of the air elemental speaking to them in Common, and wonder at the power the elemental would unleash upon the Captain's release of the latch. Roth keeps hold of Myne as he pulls her with him to the side of the cabin to hold onto a railing. Myne steps into his arms, and Roth grips her with his free arm as she holds onto him, bracing for the force of the release. The rest of the group in the quarterdeck see the wisdom in Roth's decision to brace for the force, finding something in the room to brace themselves against while up on deck, the crew along with Poppet and Alex do likewise. Poppet secures Ellete in the folds of her cloak while Alex grips the railing. With excitement, Coronal presses the pedal with his foot, and the group watches as the wheel becomes free-moving on its sturdy base, and Coronal is able to pull the wheel back on a pivot. The group gasps as they feel the bow rise, pulling the ship out of the choppy waves. With incomprehensible speed, the group watches as the ship bolts forward, flying at incredible speeds towards the Isidorian vessels. Poppet gulps as she watches their ship graze the sails of one of the enemy ships, slicing through the sails and flying higher through the clouds. Without the drag of the water, the ship travels at a frantic pace, and Alex looks on in awe as he watches the sails on the sides of the ship shift to control the altitude of the ship with slow wing flaps.

 _ **Alex's Charm**_

With the danger of the Isidorian ships gone, Alex and Poppet see the sense in getting below deck for the rest of the voyage; the speed with which the vessel was traveling gave them a dizzying and windy experience on the exposed deck.

They both arrive in the quarterdeck in time to hear _Commodore_ Coronal say, "We have some time before we reach Isidore. Go make yourselves comfortable. I'm unsure of how fast we are actually going, but Isidore is hundreds of miles away! We will take it from here."

The group all nod an understanding, but they do not move from their spots, still transfixed on the windows and the novelty of traveling through the clouds. As Alex scans the room, he spots Myne and Roth near the windows, with Roth leaning against the wall of the cabin and Myne being held gently in his arms as they watch out the window.

To his own surprise, Alex finds himself no longer angered by the sight, but it immediately fills him with memories of Sara, _Didn't I have the same thing?_

When Sara was lost to him, the emptiness filled him with anger at his own indiscretion. He had been distracted from his duties by her, and with her ripped away it had left a seething hatred of the act that he tried to fill with blind devotion to Iomedae. He had been convinced that she was gone, that death would have been better than what she was now. Any act that was not to their duty was considered frivolous, childish, and beneath him; and Myne had felt the worst of his wrath because her every act was for love, family, and companionship.

But now, Love incarnate had opened his eyes...he had been in pursuit of his love since Sara was taken. Back in Ano Liosia, when the group was coming up with their course of action, had it not been _he_ who said to go after Isidore itself, where Sara was likely to be? Love had said that Sara could be restored; they could drive the demon out and she could survive.

 _I could have her again, if we can endure her._

Alex takes a deep breath, feeling hope for Sara's restoration well up inside of him, and perhaps a hope that he could take her in his arms again. He also had to accept the fact that he was not the only one that suffered.

Myne loved her cousin, had done everything in her power to pursue Sara, and had even put herself in danger to ensure their family knew of their predicament...she had never lost sight of hope, _Was that so childish? I was a fool for thinking so. She deserves her cousin restored to her._

He presses his eyes closed as he realizes that he would do anything for Sara; he would do whatever it took to see her restored, but if he was to even have a chance, Kyus had to be ended. The evil and corruption needed to be suppressed, the chains binding Abaddon set back in place; Sara could then be saved, but at what price? If the price was his life, it would be done without a second thought.

Alex exhales, knowing that he needed to talk to Myne. The girl was probably having similar heavy thoughts as they sped towards Isidore: they would likely have to face Sara, but could they endure her, could she be saved, and at what cost? He sets his resolve, and strides towards the two figures quietly embracing next to the windows. The clank of his armor must have announced his presence, because Roth and Myne both turn to watch him approach. Myne stands up straight at the sight of him with Roth standing up behind her. Alex feels his heart break over the way he had treated her. Her face, with eyes downcast as she bit her lower lip, revealed how he made her feel: apprehensive, intimidated, and cowed.

When he steps close to her, he takes a deep breath, trying to even out his tone before he says carefully, softly, and with his voice cracking with emotion, "Myne...I... I need to speak with you privately, please."

Myne looks up at him, her large green-blue eyes seeking out his intentions, and not missing the tender tone he tried to put into his words. Roth puts his hand on her shoulder, looking over her to give Alex a nod of acknowledgement, seeing the pain in Alex's eyes, and hearing the torment in his voice. Alex nods back at Roth, appreciating the ranger's ability to see Alex's attempt to right his wrongs now that he had found his way again. Myne squeezes Roth's hand, and he wordlessly steps away from the windows to allow her and Alex a moment to speak.

Not missing the fact that some of the group were still gathered throughout the quarterdeck, Alex steps close to Myne and softens his voice for only her to hear and says, "Simbelmyne, I do not think words can truly do justice to what I'm feeling, nor can they easily mend the wounds inflicted upon you. I need to explain my actions, but I know that doesn't make them right."

Myne lets out a soft sigh, and leans against the wall for support; Alex can tell it is taking every ounce of willpower she possesses to not burst into tears.

He steps a little bit closer to her so that he can speak softly and continues, "I thought Sara was lost to me, just as I have lost most things that matter to me. My mother, my grandfather, even my father. Sara was something new, something unexpected on this mission of ours…"

Alex feels himself redden at having to discuss his love with someone else and continues, "We were lovers only briefly, but it was amazing...and with her ripped away so quickly after that...I... immediately filled it with a distaste for the act...I just wanted to drown myself. But you, I grieved with you; and in some ways, I think I have bound myself to you over our love for Sara."

He watches as Myne slowly slides down the wall to seat herself on the floor, her eyes beginning to well up with tears.

Alex kneels next to her, keeping his eyes on her as he swallows down his own emotion and continues, "This group matters very little to me in the end. The mission is of the utmost priority, and I will help lead us through it, but some in our group do not give this mission the level of importance that it requires. When Iomedae graced me again, I devoted my entire existence to our mission and to protecting the one thing I had left that mattered to me: you. I...I treated you like a child because it was easier to justify my need to protect you. I was enraged when you left for Kassen...you were out of my control, out of my reach, and you could have compromised the mission; I couldn't handle it. I thought that I knew best for everything...and I ruined you in the process. I... Myne...I am so sorry."

Myne carefully watches him as he takes a deep breath, and swallows his emotion again.

She nearly mimics him before shakily saying, "And what now, sir paladin? What prompted this need for redemption?"

Alex gives her a hopeful smile and says, "I think I can return Sara to you, and that has given me hope...and a realization of what the loss of Sara has done to me. I won't look any further ahead than that, but I will do everything in my power to see her restored to you. I promise."

Alex curses her ability to read him, her eyes widening at his promise.

Myne wipes tears away from her cheek and says, "Alex, are we going to die?"

Alex shakes his head adamantly as soon as he hears the question and replies, "No, no, you are going to get out of here. I will make sure that you make it through this, and Sara is returned to you. Just think: you and Roth will have very long, happy lives together...your father is even a part of your life now, for what that is worth. But Sara is my drive...this evil will be cast down, and I will make sure you and Sara are able to safely walk away from this."

Myne stands with a determined look on her face, wiping a tear from her cheek and says, "Come with me, Alex, now."

Myne doesn't wait for a response, rushing out of the quarterdeck and making her way down to the cabins with Alex following wordlessly in her wake. She throws open the door to her cabin, and without looking back at him begins to upheave the contents of her pack. She pulls out random assortments of her pack's contents, and Alex watches her with interest as everything from rations to extra breeches are pulled out.

He hears her give an exalted, "Ha!" and pulls out a folded handkerchief from a side pocket.

He watches her carefully unfold the soft cotton, revealing a thin band of gold. Alex gasps as he recognizes the ring that Sara would fidget with when she was nervous, that she had told him was her mother's, that she had never been without.

Myne finally turns to acknowledge his presence, and he notices the young half-elf holding out her hand to him as she says, "Remove your gauntlet please."

He sees her eyes shine with pride and vigor as he pulls the armor off his hand, and then places his hand in hers. She turns his hand over, palm up, and with a heavy sigh deposits the ring in his hand, closing his fingers over it.

With fresh tears in her eyes she says, "I think Sara knew she was losing herself...when she left me the crystal...this was in the leather pouch with it. Listen to me very carefully, Alex. If your plan is to bring her back...bring her back not just for me...bring her back for _us_. That part about living through this applies to you too, you gods-damned stubborn paladin!"

She laughs and cries as the last words stumble out of her mouth, and she covers her face with her hands. Alex grips the tiny ring in his hand, feeling the reassuring warm metal on his palm, and then pulls Myne's hands away from her face to look her in the eyes.

He whispers, "I want that very much, Myne."

She steps into his arms, giving him a warm hug that was even more reassuring than the ring, and he closes his arms around her to return the feeling.

From his chest he hears her whisper, "You could be like a brother to me...get Sara back, and care for her as I have done. She is yours now."

Alex held her for longer than he thought he should, but he could not bring himself to let her go. He knew that the two of them would fight tooth, claw, and sword to get Sara back, and this embrace might be their last if the sacrifice for Sara would be as great as Alex anticipates. He finally steps away from her, and she wipes away another tear when he frees her. He focuses his attention on the ring in his hand, and immediately feels the need to know that he can keep it close to him, but safe. He surreptitiously puts his hand up to his heart in search of something like a pocket, and feels the solid chain and pendent of Iomedae under his armor.

Myne watches him closely, questioning his movements with her eyes, and he says, "I need a place to keep this…can you help me?"

Alex finds the chain at the back of his neck, and pulls it out from underneath his shirt, turning around for Myne's assistance in unclasping the chain. She nods and obliges, and he gives himself the pleasure of a smile as he feels the tickle of her short hair and soft fingers at the back of his neck as she releases the clasp. He pulls the pendant out in front of him, and with care slides the ring through one end of the chain. With a * _jingle_ * the ring comes to a rest like a halo over the pendant, draping over Iomedae's sunburst and the top of the sword hilt, and Alex smiles at Myne over the effect. She gives him a smile back, and then turns him around to clasp the chain together again. When she releases the chain, he feels the weight of the pendant once more, and tucks it back under his shirt with a sigh.

He closes his eyes as he puts his hand to his chest over the pendant, and says, "Iomedae and my love are near me always now…"

He feels Myne place her hand over his, folding her fingers in between his and says, "Gozreh and Iomedae guide our hands, and let forces beyond us to be at our call to end this."

He feels her release his hand, and hears her footsteps as she leaves him in solitude. He stands there with his eyes closed, letting the silence fill him.

He swallows down his emotion once more and says out loud, "Sara, you are lost to evil, trapped and alone...but you have those that love you and will save you at all costs. Lower your defenses, let us in, and we will help you find your way back. You're the only one that I will ever love, and if I cannot have you, I have nothing. If you can be restored, and there is a price to be paid, it shall be paid with my blood."

 _ **A Fast Flight to Isidore**_

After eight hours of flight, the group is called up to the quarterdeck, and they gasp as they see a landmass on the horizon. They are shocked when they realize it is the Isidorian mainland. Coronal lets out an exclamation as he realizes that they had traveled at over 50 miles an hour, traveling the estimated 400 miles left of their journey by his maps. The group looks out on the landmass, and as it grows on the horizon, they see something strange in the distance. They realize that they are looking at a fleet of ships docked on the coast, and Kamara pulls out a telescope to get a better view of the fleet.

She gasps as she catches sight of the flags flying from the masts and then shouts, "Shit! Those are not Isidorian forces, those are part of the Alliance!"


	53. End of an Era: 9th Desnus-4th Sarenith

**9th of Desnus-4th of Sarenith:** **A Wet & Timely Isidorian Welcome**

 _ **The Sinking Marshes**_

The group watches the Isidorian shoreline come more into focus with every second: they see that the Alliance ships are unloading troops and supplies onto the shoreline, and there is a large encampment already set up on the shore.

With Kamara still looking through her telescope, she says, "It looks like an invasion force!"

In a panic to hide the group, Lo casts Tiny Hut inside the quarterdeck, and the ballooning tent takes up half the space.

Alex sighs at the exuberant bard and says, "We should continue with our stated mission and not mingle with these troops."

Tarian nods in agreement, "We don't want to risk getting attacked by our allies...they may not know who we are."

Myne looks around with a confused expression, "Is there a plan?"

Alex leans over to Coronal, and whispers in his ear the information that he had originally relayed to Kamara about their new rendezvous point, and Coronal nods an understanding of the approximate area that he should set the ship down.

Alex says out loud to the group, "We have to make our way up to the Ilgi Marsh…"

Myne looks at him, still confused and says, "...and then what?"

Alex continues to indulge her with a sigh, "There is a town."

Myne crosses her arms over her chest, feeling aggravated that she had to pull this information out of him, "Do we have allies there?"

"We are to rendezvous there. I think we should land slightly to the north of the town...it would be in the marsh...is that wise?"

Here, he looks to Roth, who knew of the plan, and to Myne who would know about the logistics of getting out of a marsh.

Myne gives in to the paladin despite being told about a plan only through interrogation and says, "It's not a bad idea, you'll have the cover of any trees, and the fog will also help. You're likely not going to get an airship stuck, and it will just be a bit of a hardship for us to get out on foot, but not so difficult with Roth and I scouting...especially if you two seem to know where you're going."

Roth nods and says, "I'm happy to scout ahead for a safe way through the marsh, as long as Alex can help keep us going towards the town."

Poppet tentatively asks, "Will the ship stay there for us?"

Alex gives her a grim look and says, "This is a one-way trip for us."

They watch out the windows as Coronal flies over an expansive boggy territory, and manages to land the ship fairly expertly given the fact that he had to learn the controls on the ride there. From the windows, they no longer have much of a view since the fog rising from the waters limits how far they can see. They feel the ship sink into the marshes, and head up to deck with their packs shouldered. They look out on a foggy expanse that has an earthy, wet smell. They can make out small grassy patches of land in between large sections of water. The crew puts down the gangplank, and the group make their way down it with heavy hearts. Coronal and Kamara follow them down to see them off.

At the bottom of the gangplank, Kamara says, "We wish you luck in whatever you're setting out to do."

Coronal nods and says, "You seven better come back alive; I want to go on more adventures!"

The group nods a * _thank you_ * to both captains, and Myne gives them a tear-filled goodbye as she hugs them both. Poppet speaks in Auran to say goodbye to the elemental trapped in the hull, and with that they step off the gangplank and watch Coronal and Kamara climb back into the ship with the gangplank raising up behind them. Moments later, they hear a sucking sound as the ship is pulled out of the muddy waters, taking to the air slowly, and flying out of view.

The group give a heavy sigh at the loss of their allies and the magnificent ship, and shoulder their packs and the weight of their mission, looking out onto the marsh with determination.

Alex examines his map while Roth and Poppet lean in to view it over his shoulder and says, "It should be about an eight-day trek to the village. Let's head out!"

Roth takes the lead, with Myne standing beside him to press forward through the marsh. Their feet are soon sopping wet, their boots soaked with the thick, stagnant water. In some sections, they must hold their packs over their heads while they push through water that is up to their chests; Rauros must swim alongside his companion. Happily, Roth's guidance is spot-on, and it does not take them too long before they are free of the marshes, with shallower waters and even sparse trees giving way to the Liels Forest.

Roth smiles as he steps foot into the tree line, grinning up at the canopy and saying, "This will be easy now that I am in my element."

 _ **Alex & Poppet: Unexpected Issues with Armor**_

Roth finds a secluded clearing for them to set up camp on their first night in. Each person was tired and still partially damp from the marshes, and despite wanting to build a fire to dry out, they knew they could not give their position away. They set up their tents in the quiet darkness, grumbling as they remove soggy boots and eat cold rations.

Poppet had been uneasy ever since their landing in the marshes, and finds herself pacing around the campsite after their meal, trying to warm her feet and occupy her mind. She still felt anger at the knowledge of the trapped air elemental that powered the Azlanti ship, but given the fact that it was under its power that they were able to make it to Isidore with such speed, she could not bring herself to free it when she had the chance. The knowledge, her anger, and impotence left a bitter taste in her mouth. She acknowledged her kinship to the elemental, and it troubled her to leave him in shackles. Just the thought of being bound into slavery made Poppet's skin crawl, she couldn't imagine being fettered in such a way for eons.

Despite her mind's distractions as she paces around, she realizes that some of the group were preparing for bed, and she watches Roth make himself comfortable for the first shift at watch with Rauros at his side while Myne crawls into their shared tent. Poppet gives a quiet "good night" to Myne as she ties the flap of her tent shut, and tries to shake herself free from her peculiar thoughts. She would find a way to free the elemental once Kyus and the sorceress were dealt with, even if Coronal hated her for it, although, she wondered if she would ever see the ship again to have the chance. Poppet reaches across the bond that tethered her to her familiar and realizes that Ellete is dozing in their tent on the other end of their camp.

The witch turns toward the tent, intending to join the azata to rest, _Perhaps a few card readings will help me calm down enough to get some sleep._

As she walks past her other companions' tents, she stops in surprise at the sound of Alex's voice coming from behind a bushy tree. A grin pulls at her face as she recognizes a few curses being muttered behind the foliage. Ignoring conventional propriety in regard to announcing her presence, Poppet quietly slips around the leaves of the tree to see what was causing the man such irritation. It takes her a moment of watching Alex struggle and twist his gauntlet-free arms before Poppet catches on, snorting in laughter at the display before her and notifying the paladin of his company.

Alex turns to glare at the witch, not appreciating the woman's laughter in this situation, "Poppet!" he says at her in exasperation, sighing when it sets the witch into another round of laughter.

He sighs and drops his arms in defeat, turning to look at the blonde.

Struggling to stifle her giggles, Poppet grins at Alex and pleads, "Please don't tell me you're stuck!"

At the return of the paladin's glare, Poppet dissolves again into chortling, motioning for Alex to turn and present her with his back. Raising an eyebrow at the witch, he complies, only to find himself surprised as Poppet steps up behind him and expertly begins tackling the hidden buckles and ties that keep his pauldrons in place.

She murmurs to him, "Don't be so astounded, I've had many years to learn how to play squire."

Her fingers quickly have his pauldrons detached as she lays them out on a small patch of grass, taking a moment to straighten his gauntlets from where he had dropped them in his attempt to remove the armor himself. Vambraces and rerebraces are tackled next, removed quickly from his forearms and upper arms with a few motions of Poppet's fingers.

Alex gives her a quizzical look and asks, "Where in Golarion did you spend 'many years' learning how plate mail works? You're not exactly one for armor of any kind…"

He eyes the woman in front of him as she looks back over her shoulder at him and gives him a curious smile, one that strangely makes him feel childish for even asking the question. Poppet walks back over to the paladin and begins unbuckling the backplate from his cuirass before she responds to him.

"Not to alarm you or anything," she starts, amusement evident in her tone, "but I am not precisely human, Alex."

The man jerks a bit in surprise and turns his head as much as he can to Poppet, "What do you mean, not _precisely_ human?" he asks, turning to face her fully as she frees the backplate from him.

He takes the plate mail from her, holding it in one hand at his side as he regards the witch. Sure, he had noticed the change in her appearance, but it was something that he had attributed to some magical mojo associated with her change in familiar; her change in patrons that he had little knowledge of. What he knew about Poppet and her powers was enough for him to not want to understand it at length, instead trusting her to be able to draw forth crippling spells and magically patch up their wounds. As he assesses Poppet, who ignores his question and moves to pull off his breastplate, he realizes that the witch had always allowed others to draw their own conclusions based on what she presented, and did not bother to correct their errors.

Poppet lays the breastplate against a tree stump and sighs, looking back at the paladin. Alex seems to shake himself out of whatever mental assessments he was performing of her and stacks the backplate alongside the rest of his removed armor.

Poppet eyes him warily for a moment before confiding in him, "My mother was human. My father was not…"

Watching the paladin's eyes widen, Poppet smothers a snicker and pulls up her skirts briefly so that she can kneel before the man and start helping him with the armor on his legs.

He makes to stop her when her hands dart forward to attack the buckles along the back of one of his thighs that held together a cuisse, but Poppet swats him away, laughing at the blush staining the man's cheeks. "I promise I will not compromise your honor, sir Paladin," she tells him, not bothering to hide her amusement.

He makes a disgruntled sound at her and fixes his gaze on a tall tree ahead of him, trying and failing in his attempt not to squirm at her proximity as she unknots the plate from ties on his breeches beneath.

With a chuckle Poppet adds, "I'll leave all that to your redhead when you get her back," before Alex leans forward to take the cuisses from her and align them up alongside the other pieces.

He simply shakes his head at the witch as his cheeks burn bright red, but he can't stop the pleased smile from his mouth as he thinks about having Sara returned. He briefly places his hand over the pendant that now shared its chain with Sara's ring where it lay beneath his undershirt.

"But back to your question!" Poppet says with a grin, ignoring his gesture and making quick work of the greaves buckled around his calves before thrusting the plate up at Alex.

He recovers quickly and takes the pieces from her as she continues speaking, "You wanted to know where I had years to perfect this wonderful hidden talent of mine, yes? Well, sylphs-for that is what I am-are quite long lived. You can think of our life spans as something comparable to an elf's," she explains.

She watches Alex pause as he slips his booted feet from his sabatons, giving her a calculating look as he says, "I wouldn't have assumed you were much older than I was…"

Poppet gives him a wink and stands, dusting off her skirts and saying, "I have lived to see eighty… eight years?"

She brings a hand up to her mouth, tapping a finger against her lips and looking pensive for a moment. She misses the look of bewilderment that Alex gives her as he gives her an incredulous once over.

"I suppose I did just have another birthday, didn't I?"

She shrugs and gives him a sheepish grin, murmuring an amused, "Surprise!"

Alex shakes his head at her, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck as he mutters something about her being unbelievable. He hefts his chainmail over his head, throwing the mass of metal across his nearby pack. He takes a seat on the grass before shucking off his leather boots, turning them upside down to drain out the water and moss that had collected. Stripped down to just a cotton shirt and leather breeches, Alex gives a sigh of relief and stretches.

He looks up at the _sylph_ from his seat on the ground, going over all of the information he had just learned about her- _gods, she was over four times his age_ -before asking her, "So where did you end up learning how to help someone into, and out of, plate mail?"

She gives a nervous titter before joining him cross-legged on the grass.

"Well," she drawls out, giving him a rueful grin, "I might have worked for the Pathfinders years and years ago…"

Alex blinks at her blankly as she adjusts her skirts around her. He remembers how hesitant the group had been to admit to the sylph and Mastodon about their involvement with the Pathfinders; they had debated amongst themselves before finally giving in and informing their newest companions, though several of them had wished to keep the information from their new additions. And he remembered Poppet's response to their admission of involvement with the organization.

Alex points a finger accusingly at her, disbelief and amusement lighting up his face, "You little witch!"

He ignores her blatant snort at the supposed insult as he tries to mimic her high-pitched voice, "' _I know of the Pathfinders, and a few of their members.'_ "

Poppet breaks into giggles, laughter shaking her small shoulders; Alex gives in and joins in her mirth.

Between breaths, Poppet tells him, "I might have a problem with explaining myself sometimes…"

At the pointed look from the paladin she corrects herself, "Okay, maybe nearly all of the time…"

Alex raises an eyebrow at her and asks, "Were you sent to help us then? Because you're a terrible contact if that is the case."

Poppet shakes her head. "No, I've not exactly been an active member for a couple decades, but I've been an informant I suppose. And while I wasn't sent on orders, I had heard of your party and your mission."

She gives a small shrug, a bit embarrassed to be explaining all of this, "When we ran into each other, I figured I might as well offer my help."

Alex asks a few more questions of her regarding her involvement in the group, but it appears that the woman had reached her limit for exposing her secrets for the night. When their conversations lulls, Poppet bids the paladin, standing quickly with skirts twirling around her before giving him a good night, slipping away into the darkness.

Her head pops back around the bush as she says, "I'll come find you in the morning. I can help you with all that."

Her tattooed arm gestures towards his armor, "Can't have the paladin rushing into battle without his shiny, new armor!" she says with a giggle.

Alex chuckles and thanks her, "Truly Poppet, thank you. I'm sure I would still be trying to struggle out of all that had you not stumbled across me… and barged into my little section of wilderness without warning!"

The two share a laugh before Poppet disappears back to her own tent. She finds Ellete still slumbering, small form taking up most of her pillow. Poppet shakes her head at the sight and readies herself for bed, then trying to squeeze a small patch of pillow away from the azata. Laughing softly at Ellete, Poppet curls up under her blanket, hands sliding her cards out of their pouches before she has a second thought.

 _ **Missing Time**_

The group finds the way forward easy with Roth leading, though they knew that they had a solid five or six days' trek in front of them. They are wary of Isidorian enemies as they push through the forest, but after three days of hard trekking, they found no enemies or obstacles to slow their progress. As they follow Roth through the forest on their third day out, they all catch the sounds of snapping twigs, as if a large amount of undergrowth was being pressed under many feet. They look at each other wide-eyed, and rush for cover as they realize that they are hearing the approaching feet of a marching army. Tarian, Roth, Lo, Mastodon, and Ellete find good cover in some brush while Myne & Rauros climb a tree. Alex and Poppet attempt to hide behind a tree that does not hide them well enough. They watch as the undergrowth reveals the glimmer of armor, war horses, and waving flags. The army continues to approach their hiding spot, and as they crunch closer, the group recognizes the symbols on the flags: the white bear of Ani, the glowing sun of Solaris, and the roses of Reynes.

An officer on horseback turns his eyes in their direction, and gives a start as he sees Poppet and Alex, Poppet deciding that she was not going to look like she was 'trying' to hide any longer.

He shouts for the army to halt, riding fast to approach the two and drawing his sword while shouting, "You two! What business do you have in the forest?"

Poppet puts her hands up in surrender, and looks to Alex to appeal to his fellow soldier.

Alex stands up straight, addressing the officer in his most official soldier voice, "My party and I are here on a military excursion."

The officer gives them a curious look and says, "I'm surprised anyone is here in the forest...we have been marching northeast...we certainly were not aware of another military force."

Alex shifts his weight slightly, "We are on an important mission, and I am not ready to relay the details of it."

The officer gives Alex a pressing look, pointing the sword at him, unwilling to let Alex be on his way.

Alex tries a gruff voice, shouting, "What business is it of yours? What are you up to in this forest anyway?"

The officer's horse rears back from Alex's intimidating stance, and the officer breaks his concentration to try to control his horse. Once the horse is calm enough, the officer sheathes his sword, and removes his helmet. Alex has time to take in the officer's tabard colors, marking him as a Knight of the Rose from Reynes. The young man stares at Alex and Poppet in wide-eyed shock, and with his face revealed Alex recognizes the blue eyes and golden hair in a bobbed cut - the youngest son of Vyncent Desiosus: Anthony.

He dismounts from his horse and approaches them while saying, "You must be of The Seven then?!"

Alex takes a knee when he recognizes the young lord and says, "I'm so sorry, my lord. I did not recognize you with your helmet on. I apologize for my rash words, but we could not give ourselves away."

Anthony gestures to Alex to stand and says, "Please, there is no need for formalities here, and you must excuse my shock...we thought you were lost."

Alex nods and says, "Well there are some of our party that are a bit rowdier and less-trusting with the sensitivity of the mission...I feel like we have a good chance that this plan will work."

The young lord shakes his head, as if Alex had misunderstood his meaning and explains further, "I understand it has been some time since you were supposed to make contact...it had been so long that we assumed you were lost."

Alex gives the officer a weird look, and the officer explains, "It is the 4th of Sarenith...you should have made contact a month ago…"

Poppet gasps and chokes at his statement, and Alex recovers quickly, saying, "We did not realize the date! Where do we stand in the effort then?"

Anthony looks at the two figures surreptitiously and asks, "Is it only you that have survived?"

Alex looks around him, suddenly aware that his other comrades had not emerged after the officer identified himself, and says, "Uhh, they are hiding…"

At this remark, Roth and Mastodon step out from the brush, and Myne jumps down from the tree to stand beside Alex and Poppet.

Alex looks around again, aware that there were two that were still absent and says, "Lo, Tarian...Please step out."

Ellete finds their hiding spot and smacks each of them, and Lo continues to make trouble by making a ghost sound of an owl in the distance. The rest of the group rolls their eyes, and finally Tarian steps out with Lo shuffling out shortly after.

Anthony looks around at the group with surprise and says, "You...you all survived then? Where have you been?"

Poppet slowly speaks up, saying, "Where we have been...time has moved differently it seems…"

Anthony does his best to understand her meaning, nodding slowly and says, "Travel with us; we can catch you up on the current situation."

As Anthony turns to walk back to his horse, Alex says, "So our rendezvous is moot?"

Anthony gives a nod of confirmation as he places his helmet back on his head.

Alex returns the nod, "I understand."

He turns to his comrades and says, "Well, this is all we've got now, let's move out!"


	54. End of an Era: 4th-9th of Sarenith

**4th-7th of Sarenith:** **Marching to the Encampment**

Anthony gives a shout for the line to begin its march again, and he hands over the reins of his horse to another mounted soldier to be able to walk alongside the group as they join the ranks of the soldiers. As they walk, Anthony relays to the group the status of the efforts to quell the Isidorian forces and gain ground in conquered territories across Nordost. Negotiations with the barbarians of Argus had failed; the new king of one of the tribes, Dangjok is a monstrous orc that has been overthrowing the other tribe leaders to bring the region under his rule. The allied forces were able to retake the dwarven capital, but with heavy losses. There are still Isidorian forces that are being ferreted out, and the dwarves have no one to spare for the effort abroad. The attempt to take Orestus would be too long and drawn out, and they could not afford to take that risk. They decided to concentrate their efforts on this assault instead. The march across Nordost to reach the eastern shores was as successful as it could be, with the gnomes allowing the troops to pass across their lands as swiftly as possible.

The group marches at a hard pace with the soldiers over the next couple of days, making the most of their time with Anthony to learn all that they can about the Isidorian land and the forces they should expect on their side for the final assault. Anthony explains (mostly to Alex) that the Allied forces had done their best to muster the most powerful force that could travel, including siege weapons, horseback cavalries, and the best steel and munitions that could be assembled.

He is plain in his speech as he explains with conviction, "We must come out of this victorious."

With a heavy heart, and all ears on Anthony, Alex asks about Kyus.

Anthony eyes the group, who are looking at him intently, and replies, "He has not presented himself yet...there have been reports of the dragon flying around Enlil, the capital, though. It guards the towers, as if trying to protect the city."

Alex nods an understanding, and then asks, "Is there any way we can enter covertly? We want to infiltrate the city undetected. We wish to avoid bloodshed of innocents, and we do not want to needlessly send in forces."

Anthony nods, but is hesitant to reveal too much of the details of the plans, since not all was known to him, and much would be contingent on how The Seven would play into those plans.

He replies, "We will discuss our options at the main encampment. General Bolshyo Medvistan, along with the other allied generals will be there. We will be able to work out the details from there."

 **7th-8th of Sarenith: Preparing for Battle**

The group senses the enormity of the forces assembled on the edge of the forest as they approach the main encampment of the allied nations. Some of the forest had been cleared in order to make room for the siege weapons and some of the larger tents, while the thousands of small tents for the soldiers are pitched in between the trees.

As they walk through the encampment observing the soldiers milling around, Anthony nods at a few of the soldiers, giving them a salute and turns to the group with a grim voice, "You'll notice there are no campfires. We do not want to give away our position. Of course, this means meals have been cold, which is no comfort when you're about to make an assault on your enemy."

He leads them to a clearing where a large tent has been erected, and lifts the flap to enter, allowing the group entry in his wake. Inside, they see what would normally be standard furniture in a war room: a large table in the center with a map laid out. Various figures and markers are laid upon it, and standing behind the table, deep in conversation of strategy are General Bolshyo Medvistan and General Vyncent Desiosus.

Anthony strides forward, getting their attention with a quick salute and says with barely contained excitement, "Lord Generals, I have found our comrades in the forest. The Seven have returned to us."

Bolshyo smiles at the sight of them, walking up to Alex with his arms out wide and says, "Alexander Shieldheart!" He gives Alex a huge bear hug, the warmth of the Anian general bubbling out as he continues, "We thought you were lost!"

Alex feels the breath pressed out of his body from the general's tight hug, and has to take a couple of stuttering breaths before he can say, "It is good to see you, sir."

When Bolshyo releases Alex from his grip, Alex gives the general a companionable pat on the back and Bolshyo replies, "As is you my friend! It is good to see your comrades alive and well! This changes much of what we were discussing as far as our plan of attack. We were making plans to proceed without your aid, but perhaps we can still save some if not all of our original plan."

Tarian crosses his arms and with a smirk at Alex says, "Oh, we had a plan?"

Bolshyo turns to Anthony and Vyncent and says, "We need Reena to be a part of this discussion. If we want to revive our tactics, we need her here."

Anthony nods and walks out of the tent, and Alex turns to Bolshyo to keep the conversation going in Anthony's quick quest to find Reena, and says, "What of Kyus? Where is he?"

Bolshyo sighs and says, "He is dormant, likely hidden in the keep somewhere, but no one has seen him."

"What of the red-headed half-elf?"

Bolshyo carefully eyes Alex, hearing a slight tone of desperation in his voice and says, "We know she is around. We have had a few scouts stake out the capital, and she has been seen, strangely enough, in the gardens of the castle."

Alex continues his checklist and asks, "What of the crystal?"

Bolshyo sighs and says, "We have no information on its whereabouts. We assume it to be somewhere in the capital, but we have not seen it."

Alex gives a smile as he recalls his recruits that he trained so many moons ago in Ano Liosia, wondering about their exploits after he had assigned them to various assaults and war efforts and says, "How have my new company recruits fared? I hope their leadership skills have proven useful, and my calculations for their deployments have yielded good outcomes? I hope no mishaps, especially for some that I have rather fond memories of...the one that calls himself Starlord for example..."

Bolshyo smiles and says, "Ah yes, your companies have been well led, and your Starlord is now addressed as Corporal Ronbox Piperface. He was promoted after a successful battle in Onogoro."

Alex tries but fails to hide his utter shock at the impetuous and high-energy gnome in the rank of Corporal, but smiles as Bolshyo continues, "Yes, and Theldero Draha is the reason we have so much intel on the barbarian king. His small unit has successfully scouted out the area, giving us valuable information on the region and the politics. Mora Nimrinde too made Captain after helping us take back Gangai and then leading another assault in Onogoro. Orin Hammerhall was knighted by the dwarves after his team helped take back the capital city of Cradock. Poters Riggo was given a distinguished service cross for his part in the attempt to take back Cradock. He was struck with shrapnel from a ballista that destroyed a defensive blockade, becoming blind in one eye...but he lived to tell the tale at least. Utlen Enerdar is knee-deep in the new assault on Orestes alongside Mora's troops. He is a Second Lieutenant!"

Alex stands with his mouth agape at the brave tales of his men and women in leading their troops first through a successful take-back of Gangai, then into Onogoro to reclaim the capital city of Cradock, the quiet success of the scouting mission in the north, and the new assault on Orestes. It was more than he could have hoped for to hear that all of his recruits had not only survived their missions but were thriving in their new positions as leaders.

The group turns as they see Anthony return with a figure shrouded in a deep brown heavy robe with a hood.

Bolshyo smiles at the figure and says, "Ah, my dear Reena. Could you please introduce yourself to the company, and how you can help them?"

The hooded figure nods to Bolshyo, and then pulls back her hood to reveal the dark skin and white hair of a female drow. The group gasps as they recognize Namia. Poppet raises her eyebrows to the witch, giving her a nod of recognition.

She gives a dutiful look at them all and says with sincerity, "I will tell you what I know of the castle, and where you may find the crystal that you seek."

Bolshyo ushers them all to the large table, and they all take a seat, with Namia sitting and slowly working out her words.

She finally says, "I know I will never be able to atone for all of my sins while I was helping Kyus...and your forces still hold my Asmodeus…"

Alex examines her closely, not trusting her words of apology and remorse, but as he watches her body language, her eyes, and listens closely to her tone, he is rather shocked to find that she seems to be telling the truth.

Vyncent speaks up from next to Alex and says, "So the original plan was to sneak into the castle and covertly take out Kyus from within. Meanwhile, the main army would create a diversion while you seven infiltrate the main keep and face Kyus there. Namia was once in the care of Kyus, and knows the castle well. Please explain to The Seven their options for infiltrating the castle."

Namia nods dutifully and says, "These are crude ideas that will need some thought, but one option is by river that runs next to the city: there is a gated drainage pipe that feeds into it. We could remove the gate, and traverse the capital by going underneath the city. Those sewers would lead us just outside the keep itself. I could show you a way through the sewers and into the dungeons of the castle. Another option is to disguise ourselves as an Isidorian supply wagon, and essentially bluff our way through the main gates by posing as one of the multitude of wagons that enters the city every day. We could unload near the back doorway of the keep where we would infiltrate via the kitchens and storage rooms."

Alex shakes his head here and says, "I don't like the thought of being exposed by the main gate if we don't pass muster. Are there regular supply wagons that we could hide with...a people that we might be able to approach for this kind of aid?"

Vyncent speaks up and says, "There are the peoples of Kopuma to the south, they have been oppressed by the Isidorians for years. They have supply wagons that come up from the southern fields."

Lo grins, pulling aside his shirt a bit while he says, "All we need are some distraction tactics to walk in with a wagon."

Vyncent misses the bard's meaning and says, "Well we could send a small attack to force the wagons through inspection faster…"

Tarian shakes his head and says, "How long would it take for a supply wagon from Kopuma to reach the capital?"

"Over a week on foot… slower with a caravan. They bring shipments every five days."

The group begins to realize that they cannot wait for a caravan, and out loud Lo says, "We need the element of surprise… we can't wait. We need to act now. I say we try the front door on our own."

Alex violently shakes his head and says, "We cannot risk being taken so easily. We would be trapped and rooted out before we could even reach the keep. I say we go through the sewers."

Tarian and Mastodon both voice the opinion that the front door would be best, but as Roth, Poppet, and Myne think about the logistics of keeping all of them under wraps, they begin to see the plan of underground infiltration as the safer option. Namia puts in her opinion that the sewer would be safer, and the fact that she would aid their attempt makes the group sure that this is the better option.

Bolshyo nods and says, "You've decided then? We'll have you head out tomorrow, under the cover of darkness. So, gather your strength tonight and tomorrow be ready. Namia will lead you to Enlil, and into the sewers to the dungeons of the castle. You'll have the full force of the allied armies at your back. We shall bring down that castle and all the denizens within!"

Alex nods and says, "So say we all."

Tarian smiles, "I need a nice Isidorian dungeon guard outfit for this expedition...it will match my eyes."

 **8th-9th of Sarenith: The Journey to Enlil**

The military camp of the allied forces of Nordost is bustling with activity, and the atmosphere is tense. The early Sarenith afternoon is warm, but light clouds were gathering in the west, and scholars are predicting rain for the days ahead. The group had 30 hours to prepare for their departure in their various ways, and they watch their military counterparts equally prepare: checking their armor, running blades over whetstones, and in the blacksmiths' forges shoes are made for the warhorses. Roth purchases two quivers of arrows, while Tarian, finally being away from Coronal and Kamara, feels like he can put on the ring that he stole from Kamara. He also purchases arrows and two potions of Mage Armor. Poppet distributes some of the potions that they had acquired and purchased, giving Alex a potion of Mage Armor, Cure Serious Wounds, and Stoneskin. To Mastodon she gives a potion of Cure Serious Wounds and Enlarge Person. To Roth she gives a potion of Cat's Grace. To Roth, Lo, and Tarian she gives a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds each. Myne purchases a potion of Cure Moderate Wounds. After making their purchases, they attempt to rest in order to prepare for their upcoming trek and final confrontation.

Night comes quickly, and the rains arrive with it. The party gathers near the edge of the military encampment with Namia. Two squires drape heavy brown cloaks over each of the party members, and they quickly put up the hoods of a thick cotton weave.

The generals come out to see the party off, and Vyncent nods at each of them grimly as he says, "I don't think I have to tell you how much is at stake here…"

Bolshyo adds, "You must make haste. The armies of the alliance will not be far behind you!"

Namia nods at the group, and they each shoulder their packs with determined looks. Myne touches each of them, casting Pass Without a Trace to ensure their path does not leave tracks nor a scent. She also casts Nature's Path on Namia so that she would find the fastest and easiest path through the forest. They set out with Namia taking the lead, Roth and Myne keeping a close eye beside her, and Tarian bringing up the rear to watch their backs. They push forward through the forest, heading north. They travel in silence, keeping a wary eye out for danger, and after about 20 minutes of hiking they find the forest thinning, and step out slowly into the tall grasses Niknes River Floodplain. Roth looks ahead through the grasses, and spots smoke rising from a quiet village that must be Cela. They look off to the east and see vast fields of corn and wheat growing amongst the muddy mess of the field. The rain falls harder on their hoods, and they can tell that the way through the vast fields would have been an impossibility to consider if they were not aided by magic.

As they carefully head for the fields, Namia smiles at Myne and says, "If not for you, we would have to go around this...we would have left deep tracks in the mud, and skirting these fields would have set us back hours. Let's press on!"

The group pushes through the muddy mess, and with the aid of Myne's spells are less hindered by the terrain, and happy to see that their footprints in the tilled muddy mess leaves no trace.

They travel through the night into the early morning light. Rain had pelted them with every step, and they gratefully reach a small wooded area where they feel some relief under the shelter and quiet of the trees. Fatigue begins to set in from their travels, and they decide that now is as good a time as any to rest before they continue on. Namia mentions to them that they have another eight hours of walking ahead of them, and they knew that resting any closer to Enlil could put them in a lot of danger. In a clearing, they find a site for worship with a small altar.

Alex recognizes the symbol of Erastil, and says, "This must be a site for local farmers and villagers to worship and pray for a good harvest and hunt. This might be as safe as we can get considering our peril."

Poppet nods and says, "Then I can make us a shelter to rest safely in. Give me some time."

She begins to chant as she focuses her energies on her surroundings, and the group watches in amazement as she conjures a stone cottage, complete with two shuttered windows, a front door, and a chimney. It takes her ten minutes to create it, and when she completes the incantation she shivers and sits down to rest after the effort. The group enters and inspects the cottage in amazement as they take in a table and chairs, eight bunks, and a writing desk.

Roth looks to Tarian and says, "We should scout around now that we have our resting place for the night. I don't want anyone taking us unawares."

Tarian nods, and the two elves head out to wander in a perimeter, finding only a small farmhouse to the west with a field full of sheep. Nothing else is to be seen in the early afternoon light, and the elves make their way back to the cottage, satisfied with the status of their surroundings. Once inside, the group decides on watch shifts, with Tarian taking first watch, Alex second, and Roth third, with Myne volunteering Rauros to be on watch with Roth.

On Roth's shift, as he sits quietly next to Rauros, he hears a knocking on the door that startles him. As he sneaks up to a window to try to peek out, he notices that all but Alex have also been woken up by the noise. He motions to them all to be silent, and his eyes widen as he sees Isidorian troops in armor knocking at the door. Since no one is answering the door, Roth watches as one of the soldiers tries to look in a window. Myne wordlessly encourages Lo to approach the door as a 'normal Isidorian citizen' to get the soldiers to go away, and Lo decides to summon a horse outside, behind the soldiers for fun. The soldiers look around wildly at the horse's sudden presence, and the group all giggle to themselves as they listen to the soldiers' shock and confusion.

One of them says, "Where the heck did the horse come from? There is that farmhouse we just came from I suppose…"

The other soldier gives a blank look at his comrade who says, "I'll return the horse. You stay here, and see if you can get someone to answer the door."

As the soldier attempts to take the reins of the horse, Lo decides to spook the horse, causing it to rear back and neigh in alarm. The soldier curses to himself, and with exasperation chases after the horse as it gallops away. The remaining soldier knocks loudly again on the door, and Lo decides to answer it now that they only had one soldier to fool.

Lo opens the door, and the soldier gives him a surprised expression and says, "Oh sir, you are home. We've been trying to get your attention for some time…"

Lo nods and lets the tiredness and weariness of actually being woken up from sleep shine through his performance as he says, "Yes, well I was asleep."

The soldier gives him a confused look and says, "It's a bit early in the day for sleep, isn't it?"

Lo nods with a look of frustration as he says, "For some! I've had a hard day! What is it that you want? And why are you interrupting my sleep?"

The soldier seems apologetic in the face of the frustrated but outlandish citizen as he says, "We are doing patrols in the area. Have you seen any peculiar individuals? They are wanted by the Isidorian government."

Lo bristles at the question and says, "No, I don't know what you're talking about."

The soldier nods in thanks for the response and says, "I see. If you happen to see anything, please contact the local patrols. I apologize for disturbing your sleep."

Lo nods as he begins to close the door and says, "Yes, yes. Come back at a more reasonable hour."

Lo closes the door, and turns to grin at the rest of the group that are stifling laughter and giggles at his marvelous performance. Roth peeks out the window, and sees the soldier heading off in the direction of the other soldier, and Myne gives Lo a high-five for the performance.

With the soldiers gone, they decide to leave the cottage behind to continue their trek towards Enlil. They were able to rest for long enough, and the day was waning. Myne casts Pass Without a Trace on the group again, and they head out, leaving the cottage abandoned, knowing that the magic would wear off in a few hours' time, leaving no trace of it behind.


	55. End of an Era: 10th of Sarenith pt 1

**10th of Sarenith: The Final Day (pt. 1)**

 _ **River & Sewer**_

In the early morning of the next day, the group looks out on the river as it hugs the walls of Enlil that are barely visible through the foggy haze. As they approach the river, they make out three hollowed-out logs on the bank; each large enough for three people.

Namia sighs with relief when she sees the logs and says, "These were left here for us. The plan is to hide underneath the logs as we navigate down the river to get closer to the walls of the city and the entrance to the sewers. Three to a log, let's be quick about this; the walls will have watchers."

They quickly split into three groups of three, trying to pair the weaker swimmers with the stronger ones: Myne, Mastodon, and Tarian in one; Poppet, Namia, and Alex in another; and Roth, Lo, and Rauros in a third. With their group split, they quickly make for the logs, lifting them over their heads and striding forward into the river. Lo ties a rope between his other two log members in the hopes of a safer crossing, wary of the water. For some way, they are able to stand, but as they get closer to the center of the river, they have to start swimming. Mastodon, Myne, and Tarian push forward, with Myne and Mastodon able to take most of the weight of the log and still swim while Tarian is merely able to hold on. Poppet, Alex, and Namia are not so lucky. While Alex and Namia are able to support themselves in the water, Poppet loses her grip on the log, and her petite form is pulled under the water by a strong current. Behind her, Lo, Roth and Rauros are able to swim forward, and are surprised when Poppet bumps into them. Roth is able to grab hold of her, and pull her with them in their log. Roth gets Poppet to hold onto his shoulders as he swims, and they are able to make it to the other side of the river where they can stand once again. Their legs begin to tangle in the weeds of the shallows, and they carefully make their way towards the bank.

The water smells foul from the wastes and garbage of the city, and as they peer out from under their logs, they can just make out two soldiers standing near the large sewer grate set into the side of the city wall, protecting the pipe entrance. They also see the guards eyeing the logs suspiciously, making the group hesitate to leave the cover of the logs to attempt to scramble up the partially-covered bank. Lo decides to try the horse trick again, summoning the creature inside the sewer pipe. The horse is barely able to fit, and it immediately begins to panic, neighing loudly and kicking at the sides of the pipe.

The two soldiers turn to look at the horse in surprise and confusion, shouting, "What the heck! How did a horse get in here? Can we even get the grate off to help it?"

Poppet realizes that the soldiers and the horse are making far too much noise for their covert mission, and with some regret casts Cloud Kill. A yellowish-green cloud of poison drifts towards the soldiers and horse, and when they take in the poisonous gas, they drop to the ground, motionless. Tarian decides to attempt to sneak up to the pipe to investigate, and finds the two soldiers and the horse dead, with the grate of the pipe firmly welded in place over the opening.

The rest of the group joins Tarian at the entrance when they see that all is clear, and Roth asks Namia, "I don't suppose the grate has been prepared in any way for us?"

Namia shakes her head and says, "I have no idea why the grate was protected, and I do not have a way in here… I was fortunate enough to get allies to leave us the logs."

Mastodon steps up to the grate, and with a grunt, attempts to bend the iron on the grate. He manages to make progress, bending it slightly, and even Tarian makes some progress as he attempts to bend the grate as Mastodon takes a rest. Rauros steps forward at Myne's encouragement, and with a few heaves of his body, twists the grate to such an extent that it falls away from the pipe, dropping to the shore in front of them. The group quickly grabs the dead soldiers, pulling them into the pipe with them. Mastodon is the last to enter the pipe, grabbing hold of the fallen grate and wrenching it back into place so that it appears to still be intact.

Most of the group must stoop to fit inside the sewer pipe; all but Poppet, Namia, and Rauros find the pipe confining. Considering the guarded entrance to the pipe, Tarian volunteers to go first to check for traps, with Namia following close behind him to lead him through the sewers. The smell of waste is overwhelming, and they can see rats everywhere: swimming out of their way, running along the edges of the pipe, dead and rotting in the water and the pipe's edges. They push forward, doing their best to ignore the stench and the wriggling writhing creatures that have made the pipe their home. As they approach bits of daylight coming from above through sewer covers, they can see small pieces of the city of Enlil as the townsfolk go about their daily lives at their ease: the armies of the alliance had not begun their assault yet. After a few more twists and turns, they come to a spot where they see many human bodies piled in the water. The bodies are in various states of decay; there are parts, the bodies look broken and beaten.

The group looks at Namia, who quietly says, "This is where they dump the bodies from the torture chambers."

They carefully approach a small rectangular hole in the ceiling above the bodies, with all of them showing various signs of disgust, emotion, and nervousness. The opening is just large enough to push a body through, and Tarian approaches it, listening carefully to see if anyone is in the chamber.

He swallows hard as he hears the moans of people in agony, and he whispers to the group, "There are just a few people in the room; no guards from what I can tell."

Ellete flutters up to the hole, and peeks into the room.

She takes a good look around and then carefully flies back to Poppet, whispering, "I don't see any guards...there are several people on racks and in cages...and one man up against a post that looks like he has recently been lashed!"

 _ **Liberation of the Imprisoned**_

The group decides to use the moment to get up into the dungeon. Tarian, Roth, and Namia go first, carefully climbing up through the hole to silently maneuver into the dungeon. Tarian silently pads to the barred and locked doorway, looking out to see two soldiers guarding the hallway only ten feet away. Poppet climbs up next, but as she hauls herself onto the floor she scratches a bangle against the stone. Tarian watches a guard turn his head at the noise, and indicates the alert to his comrades. Poppet carefully scrambles up, panting, and then hides as best she can. With a meaningful look from Roth, Tarian is encouraged to try to play off the sounds by shouting like one of the prisoners.

As the rest of the group continues to hide, Tarian carefully steps to where Poppet had made the noise and moans, "Please, just let me out of here! I just wanna go home!"

They hear the guard shout out, "Hey! Pipe down in there!"

After the guards are appeased by the sounds of silenced prisoners, Lo and Mastodon are next to make their way up through the hole. Mastodon quickly lifts the skinny bard up, and Lo scrambles into the dungeon with a minimal amount of noise. Mastodon jumps, and lifts himself through the hole, but his bulky frame grazes against the side of the hole that was barely large enough to admit him; his plate mail makes a metal grating sound as he hauls himself onto the dungeon floor.

Those in the dungeon wince at the sound, and they hear the shout of the guard once again, "Now what are you doing in there!?"

Lo quickly shouts out, "Gaaah, these chains!"

He quickly finds a spare set of manacles, and drags them along the floor, hoping to create a similar noise as he continues to moan in protest.

They hear the guard shout an admonishment back, "You'll stay in those chains longer if you keep it up!"

With the guards fooled into thinking all was well again, Mastodon turns to look down into the hole where Myne and Rauros were waiting for a signal. Alex and Myne get underneath the bear, hauling him towards the hole, and with Mastodon grabbing the bear from above, they pull him onto the flagstones with only a small grunt from Rauros. Alex holds out his hands to make a foothold for Myne to climb up next, and as she pulls herself up into the dungeon she lets out a sob of despair for the prisoners trapped, mangled, and wasting away next to her.

The sound of the female voice alerts the guards that were already on high alert, and the group cringes as they hear one of them shout, "All right! That's it!"

All those in the dungeon scramble for a hiding spot: Tarian picks a spot next to the dungeon's door, Roth hides behind a rack and nocks an arrow, Mastodon and Poppet squeeze next to a cell while Myne can do nothing but vomit in the middle of the floor where she had emerged.

Tarian watches carefully as the guard approaches the door, sees Myne in the center of the floor, and shouts, "Hey! What are you doing in there!?"

He pulls out a set of keys, unlocks the door, and pushes inside as Alex, hoping to at least distract or fool the guards into thinking they were escaping, shouts from the sewers, "Hurry up, get down in the hole!"

The guard draws his sword and shouts to the other guard in the hallway, "Quickly! Get help!" as Tarian quietly unsheathes his own once the guard is past him, and Alex pulls himself up through the hole to aid the stricken Myne.

Tarian can just make out another soldier urgently nod and begin to sprint towards the stairway.

Myne has enough energy to recover from being sick, shouts out, "No!" to the sprinting soldier and casts Aboleth's Lung on him with a cringe.

Tarian watches as the sprinting soldier stops, and reaches up to his neck as if he was suffocating and notices a pair of gills on his neck...the man was suffocating from not being underwater. With a few strangled gasps, he collapses to the floor. He turns his attention to the soldier that had entered the dungeon, and sees him land a glancing blow on Alex's helmet as he tries to scurry up into the dungeon. Tarian sneaks up behind him, covering his mouth with his hand and then slitting the soldier's throat. Myne lets out a sob from the floor, and shakily gets to her feet as Roth rushes out into the hallway to grab the collapsed soldier, dragging his body into the dungeon with the rest of them. Alex casts Detect Evil in the room, senses none from the prisoners, and announces this to the group. Tarian nods and pulls the keyring off of the soldier he had killed, and with an unspoken agreement from the rest of the group, they begin the task of examining each prisoner to release them.

Poppet attends to each of the prisoners, healing their wounds fully: one man against a whipping post, and another in a cage. Once they were well enough to stand, Tarian carefully unlocks the manacles, chains, or doors keeping them prisoner.

Roth whispers to Namia, "Do any of these men look familiar, or important?"

As Namia examines the man on the whipping post after his wounds were healed, she says, "You! You're Captain Ruzo are you not?"

The man breathes a sigh of relief from the aid, and the release from the post and says, "Yes, I am. And who are you all?"

Alex steps forward to greet a fellow soldier and says, "We are a team that was sent here to take out Kyus and his followers. I recognize your name by word of mouth as Captain of the Isidorian Queen's guards."

Captain Ruzo nods and says, "Well met. Yes, I _was_ the captain of the queen's guard, but that was before Kyus came into power."

Poppet hesitantly interrupts, motioning to a man on a rack who looks like nothing but skin and bones: his breathing is labored, and his eyes are sunken. There was nothing that she could do to bring him back from his emaciated state. Alex nods, and approaches the man with understanding; he needed to end the man's misery. Alex closes his eyes, kneeling before the rack and saying a prayer. He rises, and with a quick motion, kills the man by snapping his neck.

The group give a moment of silence for the man, and then turn back to an ashen-faced Captain Ruzo who says, "He was a good man, one of my soldiers...there was nothing left of him, and at least now he has peace."

Roth quietly asks, "Why are you and your men down here if you serve the queen?"

Captain Ruzo sighs and says, "I was an advisor of sorts for the royal family, and when Kyus came into power, he swayed the queen into allowing him to rule...to lead. I did not agree, and Kyus thought I was impeding on his power. He employed his own guards, and my men and I were imprisoned."

The group listens as a growl enters Ruzo's voice as he continues, "Kyus supplanted us, took control of the castle, and swayed our queen in an unfavorable direction."

Roth gives a nod of understanding and says, "We understand that Kyus is quite the manipulator…"

Tarian begins to remove the armor of the dead soldiers with efficiency, and Ruzo looks over the group with the growl still present in his voice and says, "I'm assuming you're here as part of the Alliance force, waging war against Isidore overseas."

As Ruzo approaches Tarian, Alex injects warning in his tone and quietly says, "Back off."

Ruzo realizes his tone and what his actions might be interpreted as, and soothes Alex by saying, "You are not my enemy. My duty is to the queen and the prince. We are men of honor, and our duty is to protect the royal family!"

Roth steps in and diplomatically says, "We have nothing against the Isidorian people. We want Kyus."

With Ruzo and Alex soothed, Ruzo nods his head and says, "Then allow me to help you achieve victory here. I can help you make your way through the castle."

The group look to each other, seemingly amazed to have found an ally within the castle, and Roth continues, "Do you know if more of your soldiers might still be alive in here?"

Ruzo nods and says, "There are cells down this hallway where we are kept before being dragged to torture."

He points to the other man that survived and says, "He is one of my soldiers, Michael. Lorazio was on the rack… We are all good men loyal to the queen."

Michael nods to the group as Tarian passes the key ring to Ruzo and says, "You probably know where you're going. Let's get you and Michael into the soldier's armor, and Alex can easily pass for a knight of the Isidorian army as well."

Ruzo and Michael quickly put the armor on while Lo, Tarian, and Mastodon stage the dead soldiers to be the prisoners in the dungeon. Following Ruzo, the group heads out into the hallway towards a larger room, creeping closer at Ruzo's signal to indicate more guards. Tarian sneaks a peek around the corner, and sees a space with two guards chatting to each other with a view of the cells that wrap around the large room. The group nods to each other, with Roth nocking an arrow and Tarian unsheathing his dagger.

Alex shouts out to the guards with as much military importance as he can, "Hey guys, we could use your help with someone in the torture chamber!"

The guards spring to a state of alert, drawing their swords and rushing towards the group. Tarian stabs one guard while Roth shoots the other. Tarian's target drops dead from the gaping slash across his throat while the other continues to rush the group with an arrow sticking out of his chest. He takes a swing at Roth, who quickly dodges out of the way while Alex swings his sword and finishes the other guard. They quickly search the guards' bodies and find another set of keys, which Roth takes and quickly begins to unlock cells. Tarian, Mastodon, and Alex strip the guards' bodies of their armor while Poppet heals the soldiers in the cells. Roth offers his rations and water to the soldiers as well. For the soldiers that are well enough to stand and fight, the guards' armor is handed out. As the soldiers recover and say their thanks, the group looks around for their next step, and see a barred door on the other side of the room with locks on both sides of the door.

Alex turns to Ruzo and says, "What is on the other side of the door?"

Ruzo smiles at his saved comrades and replies, "Another wing to the dungeon, and a staircase heading upstairs."

Alex nods and says, "Where is Kyus typically?"

Ruzo says, "As far as I know, he will be in the castle on the second floor. The dungeons are a separate building, but the castle is close by."

Roth asks, "Is there a way for us to get to the castle as inconspicuously as possible?"

Ruzo looks around at his men and the group and says, "We have tabards of the guard, we can easily disguise ourselves. On the main floor of the dungeon we should be able to acquire more equipment as well."

The group nods at the plan, and Tarian approaches the barred door, examining how they might unlock the door from the other side. As he does so, he hears the sound of clinking chainmail and heavy boots on stairs.

Tarian takes a step back from the door, and hears a voice from the other side of the door, "All men to arms! All soldiers are needed at the main walls! The alliance forces are attacking!"

They hear a * _click_ * sound from the other side of the door, and then the retreating footsteps of the soldier behind the door. Roth unlocks the door from their side, and pushes the door open, giving them a wide gesture of welcome.

Ruzo grins and says, "Let's go!"

Lead by Ruzo, the group makes their way to the center of the dungeon, facing the second part of the dungeon and the stairs heading up on their left. With a short look between them, they decide the time needed to rescue any of Ruzo's soldiers in the other wing is worthwhile, and rush towards a similar double-locked door as the one they exited. However, since all the soldiers had been called to arms, the doors were unlocked and the dungeon was devoid of guards. With the keys to the cells in hand, Ruzo makes quick work of releasing his soldiers while Poppet heals their wounds. The reunion of Ruzo with his men is a sight that the group can smile about, although briefly. All told, they had gained 13 able-bodied men plus Ruzo, although they were still lacking in weapons and armor for all of them.

They make their way up the stairs, and as they reach the top of the stairs they hear the sounds of shouting, of siege weaponry hitting the castle walls, crashing, and the other commotion that comes with panic and destruction. In the large, open room that they land on, they see an office-like setup with one lone guard behind a desk that had been left to man the dungeons. When the guard catches the eyes of almost twenty people, some heavily armored, he visibly shakes in his chair at the sight of them.

Taking advantage of the effect their entrance had upon the guard, Poppet steps forward lightly with a smirk and says, "You can either stay right where you are and say nothing, or you can die."

The guard's eyes widen, and without saying anything he raises his hands in the air in surrender, moving away from the desk to await where he would be told to stay.

Myne eyes the soldier and says with some mischief in her voice, "We need your armor. Strip."

As the guard nods and shakily begins removing his armor, Tarian raises his eyes at Myne's forwardness, and Roth gives an audible gulp.

Myne turns slyly to Roth and in a low, even voice says, "You're later, if we live through this."

Ruzo's men begin opening the small caches of armor and weaponry in the room, outfitting themselves as best as they can. When the guard finishes removing his armor, he hands the pieces to another one of Ruzo's men and awaits his fate in his breeches. Alex grabs the man roughly, drags him to an empty cell in the corner, and locks him inside.

Roth turns to Namia and asks, "Are there more cells in the castle?"

Namia shakes her head and says, "No, the dungeons serve that purpose."

The group looks around at Ruzo and his men, a fighting force to lay siege to the castle, and Alex raises his sword in the air and says, "Today, we end the evil spreading through the land. To Kyus!"


	56. End of an Era: 10th of Sarenith pt 2

**10th of Sarenith: The Final Day (pt. 2)**

 _ **Jaws of Fire**_

Ruzo and Alex push open the front doors of the dungeon, and blink in the sunlight. There is chaos all around them; rows of troops run down the streets towards the walls, black smoke billows in the distance, there are shouts and screams as villagers take cover.

Namia steps forward, adjusting to the new sensations and shouts, "There is a side entrance that the servants use to bring in goods for the castle. It leads to the kitchens and storerooms."

Myne looks around furtively and says, "How long will it take us to reach Kyus?"

Namia begins to usher them forward as she says, "Maybe half an hour if we can keep up a good pace!"

Ruzo and Alex step forward after her as cover, and the rest of Ruzo's men and the group rush forward next. They wind their way through cobblestone streets, heading towards the tall castle keep. When they can almost see the base of the keep through the streets and other small buildings, Namia ushers them down a back alley, skirting the outside of the keep avoiding the main entrance. As they emerge into a large courtyard behind the keep, a shadow eclipses the entire courtyard, and they hear a guttural roar. With a crash, the huge red dragon lands on a nearby wall, and lets out another massive roar at them.

Alex shouts to Namia, Ruzo, and his men, "Get to the entrance! Clear a path for us, we'll handle the dragon!"

The group hears a whizzing sound above their heads, and suddenly two large explosions land on the dragon, who shrieks and roars in pain.

They look up to see an airship fly overhead and a shout of, "Wahoo!" as Coronal flies past.

Myne prays for the protection of her allies, and casts Protection from Energy, Communal on the group, shielding them from the dragon's potential fire attacks. Roth wastes no time, picking out a spot far away from the rest of the group and firing an arrow that finds its mark. The dragon leaps down from the wall it was perched on, landing with a huge crash near Myne and Rauros as the others manage to dodge out of the way. It snaps at Poppet and breathes a huge gout of fire in a cone that would have hurt everyone if not for Myne's spell. Tarian, Roth, and Rauros are shaken from the dragon's leap and fireball, shuddering at its presence. Poppet attempts to cast Misfortune on the dragon, but it doesn't take hold, and Ellete heals Poppet to recover from the bite damage. She then sprints to a far corner to try to help spread the group out. Lo looks around at his allies, and casts Haste to mitigate the group's shaken status, and hopefully dodge the dragon's fire attacks. Mastodon rushes forward with his great sword drawn. His first attack reflects off a scale, while his backswing misses completely. The third connects, sinking deep into the dragon's hide. Tarian uses his Frostwake dagger, hitting the dragon for massive frost damage before Tarian tumbles away, also trying to put distance in between his comrades. Alex rushes forward to join Mastodon in the fray, casting Smite but missing with all three of his swings. Myne turns into a giant falcon, taking to the air and biting with her sharp beak while Rauros tries to flank the dragon, instead landing a hit on Mastodon.

Roth fires off another three arrows, hitting with his first two while the third misses. The dragon pulls its head back, smoke wafting from its jaws, then opens its maw wide and breathes heated flames at Mastodon and Alex. Mastodon manages to dodge some of the damage, but Alex takes the full force of the heat. The protection spell over Alex and Mastodon absorbs all of what would have been a devastating blow. Behind them, a building bursts into flames from the attack. Poppet casts Evil Eye on the dragon while Lo casts Inspire Courage. Mastodon swings his great sword, hitting the dragon with his first two swings; the second doing massive damage as he cuts through the dragon's soft underbelly. Tarian attempts to hide from the dragon, but it sees him. He manages to fire off an arrow that finds its mark. Alex casts Holy Lance, and lands his third blow on the dragon, doing massive holy damage to the evil creature. Myne swoops down and lands all three of her attacks with beak and talons while her partner Rauros does the same, landing all three blows with jaws and claws. The dragon steps back from the attacks, growling with a gurgle in its throat and then flopping over onto the cobblestone streets.

 _ **Storming the Castle**_

The group do not have time to linger on the defeat of the dragon, but feel uplifted that at least one obstacle had been removed from their path. They push forward, heading towards the keep in the direction that Namia, Ruzo, and his men took. They head down a side alley, and up another, reaching a side entrance where one of Ruzo's soldiers is beckoning to the group, urging them through the door. Inside, they find a hallway with storage rooms and alcoves full of food. Tarian's eyes alight on a huge cheese wheel that he enthusiastically stuffs into his Bag of Holding, despite the group's stares and looks of admonishment. They push past more rooms, following the hallway until they push open a door and find a large kitchen with five of Ruzo's men inside. Ellete drools over a fresh pie next to the brick oven, and Lo lets out a moan of despair when they find out that all the ale is gone. At the opposite door is Ruzo himself with his arms crossed, but he smiles when he sees the group enter.

He nods to them and says, "I'm glad to see that a dragon is no match for you. Beyond this door is the dining hall; no one is in there. My men will accompany you through there to the central chamber, which is how you will be able to reach the second floor. Let's do this!"

Ruzo pushes open the door, and the group looks into a dining hall with a large wooden table at its center, many high-backed chairs surrounding it, chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and candelabras on the table, and a large fireplace against a far wall.

Each end of the hall is open to hallways, and Ruzo says, "Going right will take you to the central chamber."

The group quickly push forward at Ruzo's direction, and follow the hallway with beautiful furnishings, paintings and ornate rugs. Ruzo slows the group as they come to the end of the hallway, and as they quietly peer into a large, open chamber with a small set of stairs that descends into it, they see more opulent decor, but miss most of the beauty because the room is full of Isidorian soldiers.

Myne sizes up the room, and whispers, "I think I can take care of them...that's a lot of metal in the room..."

Alex ignores Myne's whisper, and begins to push forward with a measure of desperate and anxious zeal, but is halted by Ruzo who says, "Let the druid cast her spell...you're covered in plate as well, unless that escaped your notice."

Myne steps forward, and casts Sheet Lighting on the room, creating lightning that arcs in between the soldiers and creates a bright flash that dazzles all of them as well. Roth shoots at the large rope that is holding a chandelier in the center of the room, sending it crashing down on the dazed soldiers. As soon as it is safe, the group pushes into the room, and Namia points to the staircase at the far end of the room.

Tarian slashes through some of the soldiers on their way across the room, and as they begin to ascend the stairs, Ruzo stops at the bottom with his sword drawn and says, "We'll hold any of the remaining soldiers off. You should find Kyus upstairs! Good luck!"

At the top of the stairs, they find another ornate hallway: the carpeting is a rich, deep red, the wood paneling is a shiny golden-red oak, and the furnishings lining the walls speak to the opulence and worldliness of their owners.

Namia ushers them forward until they reach a T intersection where she stops them and whispers, "Straight ahead is the throne room; we're taking a left. Kyus's office is the first room on the right."

The group sprint to the left, but come to an immediate stop when they see that the first door on the right is guarded by two heavily armored and decorated Isidorian soldiers carrying long swords and shields.

They turn their heads to watch the group in the hallway, and Tarian puts on his best 'helpless peasant' voice as he shouts, "The main foyer is under attack! We need help!"

In response, the two soldiers grip their swords harder, and continue to stare down the group, clearly not convinced as one shouts, "You lot, halt! You will go no further!"

Alex recognizes them as clerics of Pharasma, lets out a crazed shout with his sword drawn, and runs toward the soldiers, ready for a fight.

Seeing Alex's frenzied resolve, Myne casts Bull's Strength on Alex and shapeshifts into a bear while Rauros rushes forward and lands two claws on one of the clerics. Lo casts Haste on the group as Mastodon joins Rauros in attacking the first cleric, landing three heavy hits that drop the cleric to the floor, unconscious and bleeding on the carpet. Roth aims for the cleric still standing, and fires four arrows that land on the cleric in succession. Despite being turned into a pincushion, the cleric begins to chant to Pharasma, and the group watches as the cleric on the floor is raised up onto his feet to fight again. Poppet casts Evil Eye on the cleric that resurrected his partner while Tarian sneaks around to the raised cleric, stabbing him in the back. Alex grits his teeth, blind fury coursing through him at the sight of the clerics, and attempts to land a blow on one of them, but his swing goes wild and hits Tarian on accident. The resurrected cleric swings his sword at Mastodon, hitting him with the first swing but missing on the backswing. Myne joins the melee, lunging out and dropping the second cleric while Rauros attacks the first, dropping him as well.

With the clerics dispatched, Alex turns his adrenaline to Kyus's doorway as Tarian senses that the door may be rigged with a trap.

He shouts to Alex, "Wait! Wait!" but it is too late, and Alex kicks at the door, triggering a magical confusion trap.

Everyone nearby takes the effects: they begin stabbing themselves violently with their weapons before it wears off and they come back to their senses. They give Alex angry looks at his blind aggression before Tarian turns his attention to the door again, checking for more traps and locks. He does not sense any more traps, but the door is locked and he does not hear any noises from inside the room. He carefully picks the lock, and the heavy elder oak door swings open to reveal an empty office. They look around quickly, taking in the walls lined with bookshelves, the desk covered with piles of paper, books, parchment, and quills. With the door locked from the inside, and so heavily-guarded on the outside, they do not give in to the empty room, and begin a more thorough search.

Tarian scans the desk, and sees many copies of the documents with his father's name scattered over the table, but he also notices a small catch under the desk. When he unlatches it, a secret compartment in the bottom of the desk opens to reveal a worn, old journal. The binding was coming undone, and the cover seemed to only be hanging on by a few threads. The pages were coming loose, and several were damaged with tears, folds, stains, and other signs of age. With slow, deliberate breaths to control his emotion, Tarian holds the journal lovingly, giving it a few careful glances as the others watch him. He is not willing to share it, but the group can see that he has found what he has been searching for, and he carefully wraps it in cloth before tucking it away in his pack. Tarian looks back into the secret compartment, and sees an amulet made of blue agate emitting a soft glow. He uses a wand of Detect Magic on the amulet, and finds that the amulet does not seem to have any magical properties. Tarian knows that this must be one of the missing pieces of the Kassen amulet, as do those that admire it in Tarian's hand. He carefully places the amulet in his pack along with his father's journal.

Suddenly, Myne and Tarian both look up and towards one of the bookshelves as if they sense something, and Myne says to Tarian, "Do you feel the draft too?"

They approach the bookshelves together, and begin to feel around the shelf and in between the books until they find one book that is not quite the same as the others on the shelf. When pulled, a catch releases, and the shelf swings open to reveal a descending spiral staircase. The group nods to each other, and resolutely take the stairs with Tarian leading the way. The stairs descend further than just one floor, and when they eventually reach the bottom they find lit torches in brackets that give off enough light to see a long hallway leading forward.

As they press forward, Namia says, "Lots of castles built secret corridors so that the royal family can leave in a hurry…"

Roth examines the floor, looking for some indication of whether or not the passageway was recently used, and discovers that a massive group of people must have recently used it.

Roth exclaims out loud, "There must be at least forty people that have used this passage! There are tracks everywhere!"

 _ **Fire & Salvation in the Royal Garden**_

The tunnel continues for a long distance; the group keep a good pace and are amazed that it takes them nearly fifteen minutes to reach a set of ascending stairs, but these do not go up as far as the spiral stairs went down. Tarian quietly takes the stairs to reach a wooden door at the top, and listens intently. He does not hear anyone beyond the door, but he does hear the sound of the wind, and notices that the door is unlocked. He carefully opens the door, and peeks outside. He is temporarily blinded by the sunlight pouring in, and he sees that he is in a garden. Tarian beckons the rest of the group to join him, and as they all emerge into the sunlight, they take in the tall hills behind them, and just barely visible are the walls of Enlil, and the sounds of battle. The contrasting peacefulness of the garden is somewhat off-putting, and the group takes in the royal garden's brick paths, benches, and carefully-manicured hedges and flower beds with a mixture of caution and quiet awe.

They make their way through the gardens out to a wide-open lawn on a hill, with a single large oak tree at its center. Leaning against the tree is a slender figure in red robes, with her hair blowing in the pleasant breeze.

They shudder at the sight of Sara, and she smiles at their approach, saying, "You should all join me, and bear witness to a new age."

She steps away from the tree, and beckons to Alex with an outstretched arm as she says, "Alex, sit next to me. Let us experience this together."

Alex bristles at the invitation, grits his teeth and says, "Foul demon, I will join my beloved Sara as soon as you are dead!"

Sara's smile fades, and her voice changes pitch as she says, "This body is _mine_ now! Her body and her will are _mine_!"

Myne reaches out to her comrades and casts Resist Energy, Communal to repel Sara's incoming fire attacks while Roth takes his potion of Cat's Grace and Alex drinks his potion of Mage Armor. Poppet casts a Ward Hex on Alex, knowing that he would be in the thick of the fight, likely heedless of his own safety.

Sara grins at them as she watches them prepare to fight her and says, "Sara is no longer with you, instead, _I_ am she. I am Aeshma, and I shall offer up your limp bodies as sacrifice to my Lord of Chaos!"

Sara lifts her arms up above her head, and with her robes billowing around her, begins to float above the ground, about ten feet in the air. Despite not knowing Sara, Mastodon hesitates to hurt her, knowing that she was just a shell for the demon that was inside of her. He drinks down a potion of Enlarge Person and rushes forward, deciding the best thing he could do was what he does best. Tarian attempts to hide from her, but she sees him and he misses his shot with the crossbow. Roth fires off three arrows, hitting her with two of them while the third grazes her robes.

Sara grins maliciously, and for a moment they see the demon through her eyes as she says, "A gift for you, my love."

A spark from her finger ignites, and the entire hillock is engulfed in flames. All but Roth take the flames fully, and Myne's resistance spell mitigates some of the damage. Alex steps in front of tiny Ellete, casting Paladin's Sacrifice to save the familiar from falling unconscious from the flames.

Alex casts Lay on Hands on himself, healing the damage from the flames that he took for himself and Ellete, and then kneels in prayer, saying, "Iomedae, may this sword reach my foe, and not hurt my love!"

Ellete heals Alex, while Poppet casts Evil Eye on Sara. Lo casts Haste on the group, hurrying their actions while Myne stays Rauros since he would not be able to reach Sara, but casts Hydraulic Push, trying to knock her out of the air with a wave of water, but she resists the wave.

Being enlarged, Mastodon is big enough to attack Sara in the air, and swings his great sword, hitting her. As the slash penetrates her, a splash of acidic blood sprays over Mastodon, and he screams in pain as the acid burns on his skin.

Roth shouts out, "Bring her down! Tackle her to the ground!"

Mastodon grits his teeth through the pain and grapples her, pulling her out of the air. Tarian hides and takes a shot that finds its mark, causing her to bleed. Seeing the acidic effect of her blood, Roth takes out his blunted arrows and lines up his shots, hitting with one, and then triggering his thundering longbow with another shot that does electrical damage to Sara. Sara cackles maniacally as she struggles in Mastodon's grip and casts an elemental blast of fire that blasts Mastodon. Alex rushes forward, hitting Sara with the blunt end of his sword to do non-lethal damage, while Ellete uses a spell tattoo to cast a cure spell on Mastodon. Poppet tries to cast Misfortune on Sara, but it fails to take hold. Poppet Cackles to keep up the Evil Eye spell. Lo sings the song of his people, Inspiring Courage for the group while Myne casts Burst of Radiance on Sara, dazzling her and attacking the demon while handing Rauros a Cure Moderate Wounds potion, still staying the bear to avoid the acid damage from Sara.

Mastodon keeps his hold on Sara, gritting his teeth as more of Sara's blood splatters onto him, burning his skin as Tarian sneaks and takes another shot with his crossbow that hits, splattering more blood on Mastodon. Roth shoots four more blunted arrows, hitting with three of them. Mastodon feels a pressure against his strength, but he resists the spell that Sara attempts to cast on him. Alex hits again with the blunt end of his sword, hitting with two of three of his swings. Ellete flutters over Mastodon, healing some of his wounds while Poppet notices Sara's strength waning, knowing that they needed her to be weakened in order to expel Aeshma. She thinks of something that she could summon that would be able to dispel the evil, and her mind lands upon something that she has never seen before, but somehow knows it will aid them. She summons a Vulpinal Agathion, and the group briefly sees a creature that looks like nothing so much as a small, humanoid fox. Bits of clover and dew cling to its loose traveling clothes in places, but dirt and dust are nowhere to be seen, even on its feet and hand-like forepaws. Its amber eyes radiate a sense of supernatural calm as it carries a golden flute. It sees Sara, detecting the evil presence, and begins to move towards her as it turns invisible. Poppet Cackles to keep Sara under the effects of the Evil Eye, and Lo casts Hold Person to keep Sara firmly in place for Poppet's creature. Myne drops to her knees, praying to Gozreh for the creature to aid Sara and remove the demon.

Sara has a brief recognition of the creature coming towards her before it vanishes, and in between her panting and struggling, shouts out, "I will not be felled by lesser creatures!"

In anger and frustration at the burning from the acid, Mastodon lands brutal punches on Sara, weakening her further, and Myne cries out, "Stop! Stop!"

The Vulpinal Agathion reappears next to Sara, and gently touches her on the forehead. Sara writhes on the ground making low growling noises, and a dark shadowy figure pulls away from her body with an otherworldly moan that fades into nothing as it is pulled into another plane.

Before it disappears completely, they hear the voice of Aeshma on the wind, "You may have banished me for now, but this is not the end, mortals! I will remember her name!"

The summoned creature fades with the demon that it dispelled, bowing briefly to them before it too fades, leaving them alone with Sara laying limp in Mastodon's grip. Alex no longer senses the immense evil presence that had emanated from Sara for so long, and he slips to his knees, dropping his sword and shield to take her from Mastodon's arms into his own. He casts Lay on Hands over her body, healing the wounds she sustained in the fight.

She coughs, and slowly opens her eyes, weariness in her voice as she looks at Alex, softly touching his cheek as she says, "I know your face!"

Myne cries out, rushing forward to drop to her knees next to Alex and hugging her cousin, crying over her and shouting, "Sara, thank the gods!"

Ellete hovers over Alex, and lets out a little * _humph_ * of jealousy as Alex leans in to give Sara a deep kiss.

He takes his pendant of Iomedae off from around his neck, and pulls the ring off the chain, placing it gently on Sara's finger as he whispers, "When this is all over, my love…"

Namia allows them a few moments to hold each other before stepping forward, tugging on Myne's arm and tentatively saying, "You need to keep moving...you cannot linger here. I will take her back with me, and keep her safe."

Poppet idly watches the scene, and sees Mastodon's glowing magical sword as he stands, remembering that his sword grew with power with each hit, and then remembers Zod's sword, and Myne's words about the gem. She hurries over to Roth, requesting the sword from his pack, and he gingerly removes the wrapped sword and gives it to her.

She walks slowly towards the small group on the ground, motioning to Mastodon while saying, "We need your sword Mastodon. We can save two from evil right now, right Myne?"

She carefully lays the sword down on the ground at his feet, and pulls the cloth wrapping away from it, revealing the evil black blade with the dark purple gem glaring at them from the hilt.

Poppet motions to the gem as Myne looks up from Sara to say, "Yes! A weapon of greater power should be able to break it! Mastodon, bring your sword down upon the gem and break it!"

Mastodon nods, squaring his body to the sword, and brings Skofnüng down upon the gem, shattering the gem and black blade with one mighty swing. They feel an evil demonic energy release onto the breeze, and when the darkness recedes they see the body of Bo lying on the ground among the shards.

He sits up, rubbing his chin in confusion while saying, "What happened to the party? Where am I?"

He looks around with a certain amount of placid observation, fixating on Lothar and says, "Hey Lo! You got any wine?"

Tarian hands Bo his canteen, and Bo eyes it with a questionable glance while Myne rushes forward to give him a welcoming hug.

Bo looks at Tarian, handing him back the canteen while saying, "If it's just water, I'll pass."

As Alex helps Sara to her feet, Lothar does so for Bo, and they both are ushered over to Namia who greets them while saying, "Welcome back from the darkness. I will usher you both to safety. Your companions still have work to do!"

She nods to the group and says, "Just past the hill there is a rocky outcrop where you will find an entrance to a cave. Kyus will be there."

Poppet makes quick work of healing the group of their injuries as Tarian nods at Namia and says, "Do you know anything about him that will help us?"

Namia gives them a nervous look and simply says, "He has others that have been brainwashed into protecting him...but he will also be a powerful foe. I cannot offer any more than that to you. Good luck."

The group gives their last goodbyes to Sara and Bo before Namia leads them back towards the tunnel in the garden, and the group begin to make their way down the hill.


	57. End of an Era: 10th of Sarenith pt 3

**10th of Sarenith: The Final Day (pt. 3)**

 _ **The Reach of Kyus**_

Past the hill, the group finds a rocky outcrop with mining equipment, along with piles of stone and dirt next to a hastily-cut tunnel: the opening is uneven, and despite looking more or less like a mining tunnel, it is clear that it was done as quickly as possible. The group carefully enters the tunnel, and after about twenty feet they find a shaft dug into the earth with stairs that descend in a tight spiral. There are no torches along the shaft, and the stairs are just wide enough to admit one person at a time. With her dark vision, Poppet volunteers to look down the shaft, and can see that there is no one on the stairs, and seemingly no setup was made to protect them.

Tarian takes the lead on the stairs, just in case, using his hooded lantern to light the way, checking for any signs of traps or an ambush along the way. They descend into the earth, and as they go, they can feel the air getting cool and damp. There is plenty of evidence to suggest that the shaft was dug in haste, and the rickety staircase and roughly-hewn, uneven stone walls around them attest to it. They finally reach the bottom, hearing the sounds of rushing wind through the darkness. Ahead, where the tunnel continues, the group can just make out the flickering of torches in the tunnel. Alex reels as he senses a huge wave of evil from the tunnel, and shuts his eyes tightly as he steadies himself on the stair railing.

Out loud he says, "The evil coming from here is overwhelming...I feel lightheaded from the impact."

He takes a knee, and says a quiet prayer to Iomedae for protection and guidance as they faced what he knew to be the ultimate evil force. After standing and steadying himself again, he focuses on the tunnel, waiting for the group to move forward. He does notice that Poppet, Roth, and Myne all carry uneasy expressions, as if they too feel some small measure of the evil that had brought the paladin to his knees. They press forward, with Tarian giving a nod to his religious companion before stepping forward in the lead, stepping into the torch-lit tunnel.

Ellete suddenly gives a little gasp and quietly says, "I hear voices coming from deeper in the cave…"

There is a general tightening of grips on weapons through the group, and as they continue forward they can all hear the sounds of many people chanting. At the end of the small cavernous tunnel lined by torches, the group comes to a space where the tunnel is no longer worked stone; before them is a natural space beneath the earth with a narrow opening. They hear the chanting growing louder, and they each have to squeeze through the opening before they come out into a monstrous cavern. There are steps chiseled out of the stone leading down into a large, open space with a black lake of ichor at its center. In the center of this lake is a huge black crystalline object wrapped in shimmering gold and silver chains that stretch out and latch into the walls and ceiling of the cavern. Black liquid gurgles out of the black crystalline structure, sputtering and spattering. The group focuses their eyes on the stone stairs that lead straight ahead to a huge platform hanging over the black lake, on which are fifty hooded followers chanting together in the ancient tongue of the Azlanti. They are facing the lake and, on the end of the platform, a large stone altar that depicts the mask of Abaddon looms. Directly at the altar is a man in white robes, and long blonde hair. He too stands facing away from the group towards the altar that overlooks the black lake and giant black crystal as he chants the Azlanti words. In the space between the black crystal and the overhanging stone platform with the altar and followers floats a multitude of shimmering Starstone crystals with the large white crystal of Avalon in the center of them all. Tangled streams of white light wrap around between them all, and then around the chains binding the black central object.

The group listen as Kyus lifts his arms up in supplication at the stone altar and says,

"Flow energy of the heavens, flow energy of the gods.

Power of light that created thee, now be undone.

Break these shackles that bind, free the form of chaos.

Release from thy slumber, wake and return to us!"

Kyus then changes his tone, appealing to the chanters, "Sing my fellow shrouds! Chant our Lord's name! Our time is close at hand! Our lord's time is close as hand!"

The devoted acolytes continue their hymn, changing to the language of demons, chanting their song with renewed vigor. The group watches the tangled mess of white crystals interspersed in the chains, and can tell that the crystals are beginning to erode the chains. They huddle together to discuss their best strategy of attack, trying to figure out how to reverse the process. They begin to feel small quakes as the chanters' voices raise, and try to make a hurried plan come together. They finally decide that Roth would try to pick off the smaller white crystals in the tangle while Myne would attempt to pull away the large white crystal. Lo would cast Confusion on the group of acolytes to mitigate their threat while Alex, Tarian, and Poppet would go after Kyus.

Lo gives a manic grin to the group before running forward, jumping down the stone steps with loud thuds from his boots and shouting, "Hey, everyone! Stop!"

The acolytes turn to look at Lo as he casts Aura of Confusion on them. About thirty of the acolytes fall victim to the spell, causing them to punch themselves in the face.

Kyus also turns at Lo's presence and shouts back with a hint of the manic in his voice, "You cannot stop what has already begun! This path was inevitable, to put a stop to it would be like halting fate itself! Everything that has happened has led to this, my lord wills to be released, and so the heavens allow it to be!"

Poppet casts Black Tentacles on the platform, and in the chaos created by Lo, all but Kyus are entangled in the writhing mass that bursts out of the stone. Tarian does his best to hide from the rest of the group before firing an arrow at Kyus. He watches as the arrow deflects off Kyus, and Tarian's eyes widen as he realizes that he is protected by some kind of magical shield. He gives a silent curse, and then tries to hide again to line up another shot. Roth eyes the crystals in the tangled web, and realizes the difficulty in taking shots at them. He changes his mind, instead aiming for Kyus, who seems mostly unperturbed by the group's presence. Despite Tarian's arrow not being able to penetrate, Roth's three arrows manage to make it through Kyus' shield. Kyus feels the shots penetrate him, and turns to the group, eyeing the shining paladin, the beacon of good and light.

He lets out a guttural growl and says, "Follower of the Light! I banish you from this plane!"

He unleashes a blast of Hellfire from his hands, and Alex stands tall, allowing the Stoneskin potion to absorb the horrific spell. As the spell fades, Kyus grits his teeth in frustration as Alex stands, unscathed. Myne gives Alex a determined look, and Alex nods at her, turning his attention back to Kyus.

Alex feels the brush of feathers on his cheek as Myne transforms into a Giant Falcon beside him, and with his eyes never leaving Kyus, pulls out his pendant of Iomedae and kisses it while saying, "May my sword ring true!"

He braces himself as Myne picks him up in her talons, and flies over the chaotic mess of acolytes, delivering him to Kyus. As he lands, he lets out a war cry and casts Smite Evil, bringing his sword down on Kyus. The blade would have missed its target due to Kyus' speed, but Alex feels the grace of Iomedae carrying his sword forward, willing the blade to find its mark. As the blade comes into contact with Kyus, he briefly sees the magical shield that turns the blade away at the last moment.

Kyus grins at the paladin, and says, "Your gods cannot save you now!"

He spits at Alex and continues, "You are nothing but a pawn to a lesser god!"

Lo gives another manic grin at the chaos in the room, drunk on the situation and shouts out, "I am the bringer of Light!"

The group knows he means to use the powers of his shirt, and close their eyes just before the shirt dazzles everything else in the room. All the acolytes, whether they were punching themselves or not, are dazed from the brilliant and flashy display of the bard as he pulls at the deep V of the neck on the shirt as it shines. Those acolytes that were punching themselves also begin babbling incoherently as the Confusion spell takes hold in another wave, and a few of the acolytes are able to break free of the tentacles in their panic to try to escape. Mastodon pushes through the mass of acolyte bodies and tentacles to make his way to Kyus, landing a blow on him.

Poppet casts Evil Eye on Kyus, and then commands the Black Tentacles to crush the acolytes; all those that were still trapped by the tentacles are knocked unconscious. Ellete expends one of her tattoos of Dispel Magic, allowing her to dispel the tentacles so that the group can move freely towards Kyus. Tarian moves and hides, readying his crossbow for when Kyus attempts to cast another spell. Roth fires off three arrows, hitting with all three and even activating the thundering longbow, sending a shock of electricity to Kyus that unfortunately does not deafen him.

Kyus reaches out to Alex, touching him with bony white fingers and saying, "Poor helpless creature!"

An eerie dark fire begins to glow around Alex, but Tarian fires his shot, hitting Kyus and interrupting his concentration. Alex breaks free of the evil encircling him and casts Smite Evil before swinging his sword, but the weariness from the evil fire causes him to swing wide. In the air, Myne flies over to the tangled web of crystals, and grabs hold of Avalon's crystal with her talons, trying to pull it free from the web. She strains against the web, but cannot pull it away. Down below, Rauros lumbers into the fight, lashing out at Kyus but missing. Lo gives another wild smile at the chaos and sings his Inspire Courage song, willing his comrades on, knowing that this was a fight they could not lose. Mastodon swings his great sword, landing heavy blows with both his upswing and backswing.

Poppet tries to cast Misfortune but Kyus is unaffected, so she Cackles to keep the Evil Eye on him. Tarian tries to hide again, but Kyus spots him, and his shot goes wide. Roth takes aim and fires two shots, both hitting Kyus square in the chest and causing Kyus to let out his breath in one loud * _huff_ * from the impact. Kyus falls onto his knees in shock with arrows protruding from his chest, his white robes drenched in blood.

He looks out over the black lake at the crystal and says, "I did everything you asked of me. You willed me to do this... I put all my strength into this! I cannot fail now, after all we have worked for! We have tried over and over again to release you! Come to us, do not leave us!"

Alex steps up to Kyus, kicking him over onto his back as he coldly shouts, "Enough!"

He aims his sword over Kyus, and drives the blade down into Kyus' chest, expending the last Kyus' life in one heavy stab. He quickly pulls his sword out, showing no emotion, using his boot over Kyus' throat for leverage. Inside he felt cold, spent, and done with Kyus and all the havoc he had caused in Nordost. He wanted to go home, to hold Sara, and find peace.

 _ **The Chains of Abaddon**_

Alex turns and looks out over the black lake, shuddering as he hears the sound of metal breaking, and the slap of the heavy chains slamming into the stone floor, almost taking out a few of the surviving acolytes who step out of the way just in time. The earth around the group begins to quake, and another chain snaps in two, part of it plunging into the pitch-black lake. Suddenly, a shockwave emanates out of the center of the cavern, blasting everyone back, and knocking some of the acolytes over. In the air, Myne is hit by the shockwave, and sent into an uncontrolled spiral towards the black lake; she manages to pull out of the dive just before touching the waters. Part of the ceiling breaks away, sending massive chunks of stone crashing into the crowd of surviving acolytes, crushing several and trapping others beneath the rubble. A wave of chaos erupts from the survivors: some acolytes realize the danger and begin fleeing; others kneel and start praying; others are stunned, unable to move with their mouths hanging open. The whole cavern begins to show signs of weakness, with deep cracks in the ceiling, walls, and floor.

Suddenly, the group hears a loud, deep-earth * _crack_ * from the center of the chamber. The side of the black crystalline shape shatters, sending a scattershot of shards flinging out into the chamber wall and the crowd of praising Shrouds. From their various positions, the group watches as the confused melee of acolytes are sliced up as if knives were sent through them. Alex, Mastodon, and Rauros are also hit by the shards, and they feel the sharp stones pierce their skin. They all look out on the lake at the black crystal, and watch as an arm protrudes out from the crystal along with several bone-like spidery legs. There is a loud groaning sound that echoes all around the cavern. The wide open-space seems to stand still for a moment; no sound, no shaking, only stillness.

Another shockwave erupts, with the black crystal at its epicenter. The shockwave tears the stone floor apart, the ceiling crumbles, the walls buckle and partially give way. Dust and debris is sent flying everywhere, masking the group's sight. Their ears ring, and everything they hear seems to be echoing. As they get their bearings, their sight is slightly fuzzy as they peer through the dust. Their bodies feel heavy as they get to their feet with the dust settling around them, and in the center of the room where the crystals had been now stands a figure: three times the height of the average man with a muscular frame, its skin is a heavily-scarred swirling mixture of black and red; its legs are long with hooves for feet. Its face resembles a stoic mask, with two flaming red eyes, but no mouth can be seen, and its hair flows and waves like flickering flames. Extending from its back and shoulders is an array of scythe-like claws. Abaddon stands before them.

The group winces in pain as their minds feel like they are being scrambled over a roaring fire, and they each hold their heads in pain; only Tarian and Poppet are able to resist the mental onslaught. More of his claws extend forth like massive spears towards the cavern's ceiling. The claws grasp at the ceiling, the cavern shakes and begins to crumble more, and the narrow opening through which they entered the cavern caves in, blocking off their exit. The surviving followers of Kyus begin either groveling and praying to the resurrected god, or scrambling around in terror for some other way out. From Abaddon's claws, the ceiling above the lake begins to crumble, and the island Abaddon is on begins to rise up out of the black liquid. The various white crystals used during the ceremony lay on the ground around the group, seemingly in a dormant state. Finally, the ceiling completely collapses into the lake, and up through the massive hole the group can see a dark, swirling sky as Abaddon begins to rise on his floating island. The cavern continues to shake, the rock below them cracks further, and the walls crumble. The group give themselves looks of resignation of their fates, knowing that this would likely be their final resting place.

 _ **The Song of Eden**_

Without warning a portion of the wall behind them gives way, and collapses in a great waterfall of rock and earth. As the dust begins to settle, they realize the collapse has opened up a hollow space in the wall. It is some kind of small room, empty but for a worked surface on the far wall. The surface is completely flat, made of beautiful white marble, and expertly polished. There is an inscription carved into the wall, not of the written word, or of any language of Golarion or any other… it is music: notes of a song, long lost beneath the earth.

Lo gapes at the notes, and rushes towards the alcove with the rest of the group following in his wake. He pulls his lute out, aware that he had found the legendary music that was mentioned by The Violet Minstrel so many moons ago, and solemnly begins to strum the chords, playing out the notes as if he knew the song all along. The music flows from his lute; a beautiful song of passion, sorrow, and regret. It is like nothing the group had ever heard before, and they all close their eyes from the inspiration and emotion the song portrays. It is a love song, written long ago by a goddess deeply saddened. She was forced to seal away someone whom she loved dearly; saddened that the someone never knew love, never felt it. He held only rage, and she would never be able to show him the love she felt.

As Lo plays, the crystals that were lying dormant on the ground begin to glow, and slowly begin to float up. Myne's, Lo's, and Tarian's bags begin to rattle as the Starstone crystals they had acquired float out of them, glowing brilliantly. From Poppet's pouch of cards, tiny sparkling tears float up through the air, and join together with the other crystals. From them, the shape of a woman takes form, glowing brighter than any flame, brighter than the sun: sparkling like diamonds, adorned in a semi-translucent robe. Her hair is long, and her face is fair: she is a beauty that could only be divine. She begins moving towards the group, taking slow careful steps with a soft, warm smile on her face. Beside her, other humanoid forms begin to appear, kneeling in two rows to her left and right. One appears as an aged man with a long white beard, but then shifts to look like a woman with wild, flowing hair; another looks like a young woman with short hair clad in full plate mail, another, a great bulky figure in a massive suit of spiked plate armor. The crystals that had brought forth the form of the woman begin to float up towards Abaddon, surrounding him with streams of white light flowing out from them, intertwining and connecting. The bright woman, Eden, stops right in front of Lo.

She looks at each of them in turn, and simply says, "Thank you."

With that she gives a gentle kiss on Lo's cheek, and transforms into an orb of white light that swiftly flies back towards the crystals, and Abaddon. The other figures stand and vanish, and the group notices that other pieces of glowing crystals are now floating down from the wide-open ceiling, towards Abaddon and the glowing orb of Eden. There must be thousands floating around them now, with more swiftly coming in from all directions. The orb changes back into a humanoid form again, and as she faces Abaddon she wraps her arms around him, her lips connecting with his. When their lips touch, a flash of light erupts that engulfs the entire space, blinding the group, washing everything out in brilliant white. Then darkness.

 _ **Ascension**_

 _Roth, Myne, Alex, Lo, Tarian, Poppet, and Mastodon all feel a sense of weightlessness, and coldness._

 _They see, and yet cannot see._

 _Around them is blackness: a void that is empty and infinite._

 _They try to look down, raise an arm, a leg, to see themselves, but there is nothing._

 _They wonder if an eternity has passed, floating in the vastness of nothing._

 _They try to remember who they were… a ranger, a druid, a paladin, a bard, a rogue, a witch, a barbarian._

 _How did they come to be in this place?_

 _Then they see something small, glimmering, and shining brightly._

 _They want to head towards it… so they do, and it grows larger._

 _… They feel its warmth as they approach this veil of light._

 _…They reach out their hands to it, though they cannot see their own hands._

 _…The light grows stronger, almost upon them, and the veil of white light extends a hand of its own._

 _A glowing feminine hand takes hold of theirs, and a brilliant flash engulfs them._

 _They can hear, taste, smell, feel, and see… again._

 _They stand blinking in the sunlight, feel the warmth of the soft Sarenith breeze, smell the blooming flowers around them, and see that the injuries they were afflicted with are gone._

 _They feel as though they have just awoken from a long, restful sleep._

 _They feel stronger, sharper… as if a veil of limitations on their abilities has been lifted._

They are standing in the Isidorian royal gardens once again, and behind them the sounds of battle in Enlil are all but gone. The rays of the sun are warm upon their faces, and a gentle breeze stirs leaves on the nearby trees. They gaze in awe and wonder at the sight in front of them: a massive crater in the ground scars the land where the hills were before; the nearby river of Niknes drains into it merrily, the roaring waters shooting up clouds of mist as they fall into the gorge. From the ground level, their eyes travel up to the sky: above them now, hanging alongside the sun is the sparkling crystalline structure of the Starstone.

 _ **Safe and Sound**_

When the group recover their sense of self and their surroundings, they each begin to celebrate excitedly with one another about what they had done, and what they had witnessed. They each shout and hoot at the Starstone, cheering it on, embracing each other, and lifting their weapons to the sky. Their celebrations in the garden are short-lived, however. They hear a great * _crunch_ * of stone, and turn towards the city of Enlil and the castle. Plumes of smoke and dust rise above the city, followed by the echoing battle cry of a thousand soldiers.

Alex says, "The allied forces must have breached the city walls! Quickly, we must get back! Taking the castle will be their first objective!"

They rush towards the secret passage that had led them to the garden, and are happy to see that the massive quake had not collapsed the tunnel. Heedless of enemies, they sprint through the passage, making their way to the thin spiral staircase in minutes, and emerge carefully into Kyus' study. They find Bo on guard and Namia standing protectively in front of a chaise lounge occupied by a sleeping Sara.

Bo gives them a smile, drops his stance to place his hands with one fist enclosed by the other in a gesture of honor as he bows, and says, "It is done, but not done. Namia and I have heard the breach of the walls, and we can hear soldiers sweeping the castle."

Alex and Myne give Bo a somewhat distracted nod as they look past him to Namia.

They give her concerned expressions after eyeing Sara's prone figure, and Namia supplies, "She is exhausted, and sleeping peacefully at the moment. I am sure her possession passed as a waking nightmare...I think it drained her of life. We had to aid her steps just to get here, and she gave strange accounts of what she thinks has transpired, along with whimpered cries as she was filled with some horrific memory. Luckily your monk friend did not suffer similarly in Zod's sword; he does not remember any time passing. I have done my best to fill him in on what I know to have taken place for you all, however Sara is a different story. She will need time to mend, and I doubt very much she will ever completely recover. I...am very sorry."

Alex nods an understanding, slowly steps forward to kneel before Sara, and gives her a tender kiss on her forehead. She responds to his presence with a slight movement of her head, and a small smile briefly adorns her face. Alex senses Myne join him at his side, and feels the soft touch of her hand on his shoulder, giving him comfort and calmness with her touch.

With quiet and careful motions, he smooths back Sara's auburn hair, and whispers to her, "We are here, suffer no more my love."

Roth awkwardly shifts his weight before quietly interrupting, "We cannot linger here. The allied forces need to be aware of our presence before they burst in here with their weapons drawn."

From his position next to Sara, Alex mumbles, "Military protocol would require them to take the castle with as little life lost as possible: the dead cannot give information, or be traded as political collateral. Plus, the allies are much more merciful in their strategy...if it comes to a confrontation, we need only surrender. We will be escorted to the military camp as prisoners of war or those of questionable allegiances, and there we can explain our situation to those that are aware of our involvement."

As if on cue, they hear the sounds of soldiers rushing down the hallway, and an urgent voice shouting, "Sir, we have bodies! And signs of a break-in!"

The group as one look towards the door leading to the hallway: it had a splintered, kicked-in look to the lower part where Alex had brazenly tried to gain access to the room by force. Not long after, they see the gleam of armor through the hole as the soldiers examine the bodies of the clerics.

They hear another voice say, "They wear Isidorian colors...someone else on our side must have gone through here first…"

From further away from the door they hear the familiar deep boom of Captain Ruzo, "As I have explained: a small infiltration party of yours made their way through the keep. When they left me and my men, this is where they were heading! We are not your enemies, we helped to take the castle!"

Alex carefully stands, and whispers to the group, "Ruzo and his men are likely prisoners of war too. They were wearing Isidorian colors. Let's prepare for surrender: stand away from the door, and sheathe your weapons. No noise, just let them come in. I'll do the talking if we have to say anything."

Tarian begins to open his mouth for a rebuttal, and Alex quickly cuts him off, " _I_ will do the talking. There is no bribery or smooth-talking with well-trained soldiers."

The group moves themselves against the window, sheathing their weapons as they move. Namia stays in front of Sara, trembling slightly at the thought of a dozen soldiers rushing the room with weapons drawn.

A banging issues at the door, and they hear, "This is Captain Fabrius of the Solarion Forces! We are taking over the castle! Your Queen is already in custody! Surrender peaceably or prepare to be taken by force!"

The group collectively hold their breath in the silent space between the Captain's ultimatum and the door being knocked off its hinges by a soldier. The group watches as a middle-aged soldier with a plume of feathers on his helm enters first in a confident stride with his sword drawn. He does not seem surprised to see people in the room, and the group watches as his sharp eyes take in each of them, their weapons, and their armor with a glance.

He looks directly at Alex and says, "Good choice. My soldiers will confiscate your weapons, and you will be taken to camp for questioning. Don't bother talking, it's not what I'm here for."


	58. Epilogue: 10th-15th of Sarenith

**10th-15th of Sarenith: Five Days New**

A cool breeze twists Myne's copper hair as she sits on the shores of the new lake that was forming from the pooling and collecting of the Niknes River emptying into the crater left behind from the Starstone's resurrection. She breathes deeply of the early summer air, and turns to lays on her stomach in the grass next to Rauros to bask in the rays of the afternoon sun.

She stares out, letting her eyes unfocus in the glittering reflections of the water gathering in the crater, and idly runs her fingers through the soft blades of grass in front of her, _Here I am, clear across Nordost; the Starstone glittering like a new sun above me. I would never have imagined such a thing in all my life...yet we had a hand in it._

Her heart swells, and she holds back fresh tears as her overwhelming emotion coupled with her newfound power flows through her, _I believe in my heart that we have been blessed by Eden herself...though what I truly remember of her words or what she did...even only five days after the event, I cannot put it into words. Luckily, upon our arrival at the encampment that day, the generals only demanded to know Kyus' fate, and seemed to understand that we were somehow involved in the Starstone's resurrection without pressing us about it. Alex did all the talking that needed to be done...thank the gods...I could be silent._

She takes a deep breath, stretching luxuriously in the sun and continues her thoughts, _Once the Allied forces had control of the city, they took over the castle as their command center, and we have been staying in the castle as special military guests. We have been treated practically like royalty, given guest rooms and told to be at peace, and relax. Our work is done, for now._

She and Roth had spent their first day sequestered in their room with each other; while Roth seemed to take the event in stride, Myne could not easily overcome the enormity of what they had experienced. In the days after, she had come to the lake to watch the progress of the waters rising further up the sides of the crater, letting the sight of it calm her.

She breaks herself of her reverie, taking in the position of the sun, and realizing that she needs to make her way back to town. The other part of her new routine was to visit Sara, and check on her condition. She rouses Rauros and gets to her feet, stretching again before she sprints through the grass, her bare feet pounding the earth as she effortlessly makes her way to the gates of Enlil with Rauros on her heels. The Alliance guard on duty at the gates recognizes her as she approaches, gives her a small salute, and allows her to walk past the portcullis without the interrogation and questioning that others would receive upon trying to make an entrance.

Myne walks the busy streets of the enclosed city, which seems to be getting on with daily life. She sees a patrol of Alliance soldiers march past, and is reminded that the citizens had to endure the Alliance occupation and its declaration of Martial Law. A curfew was imposed on Enlil's citizenry, and anyone exiting and entering the city was questioned; their goods examined and checked. Defectors and loyalists gone rogue would be a constant worry as the Alliance tries to return order to the city, the nation, and the rest of Nordost for that matter.

The castle's guard also allows Myne to pass without an interrogation, and she quickly climbs the stairs, quietly padding down plushily-carpeted hallways to Sara's bedchamber. She gives a small rap on the door before entering, knowing that it was possible (in fact likely) that Alex would be in there too. Sure enough, as she slowly opens the door the figure of Alex stands from an armchair near Sara's bed.

He smiles warmly at her and says, "More progress today. She spoke to me for quite some time before the exhaustion overtook her. She is resting again."

Myne nods and questions Alex, "Has she eaten? She barely touched the plate of fruit and bread that I brought her yesterday...it was even her favorites: blackberries and croissants."

"Yes, she told me she ate what you brought her yesterday, but much later in the night. She has eaten a small amount of breakfast and lunch that the servants brought as well. I have high hopes for dinner."

With fear and a small amount of urgency welling up in her voice, Myne says, "Well she _must_ eat if she expects to revive herself!"

In an attempt to calm her, Alex responds in soft tones, "Myne I know your worry, but we have to hope that she will recover at her own pace. We still know very little of what she experienced while...while she was possessed. She still won't speak of it. She directs her interest and questions at us, and what we have done in her absence. She did enquire after her father, and I told her that you would have seen him last during your little flight without us."

Mollified, Myne smiles at the thought of sharing news of Sara's father with her, "I shall be happy to tell her about my last visit with Uncle Faramir...although that news is old now. Perhaps we can scry on him sometime when she is awake. With your permission, of course?"

Alex grins and shoves Myne playfully, "You don't have to be so formal with me, we're friends...more than that. But she is your cousin first and my... interest second."

Myne returns the playful shove, laughing, "No, no, good Sir Paladin! You seem to be her warden. I have to wonder why you haven't just stayed the night in her room. Or would the mere mention of your relationship make you blush?"

Myne's grin widens as she watches the paladin's face redden, and she giggles at his discomfort, "Don't worry, Alex. Your children will look _adorable_!"

In a voice full of mock chivalry and pompousness he shouts, "How _dare_ you assume the position of mine and the lady's virtues! Have at thee!"

Alex launches himself at Myne, who anticipates the attack in between giggles and shapeshifts into a bear, catching him with paws as he makes his tackle, and the two divulge into a rolling, tumbling mass on the floor.

Myne stops mid-smush when she hears, "Ahem. How is anyone supposed to rest when there is all this racket? Alex, you should just admit defeat, she's got you in a choke-out position again."

Myne shapeshifts, and climbs off of a rather ruffled-looking Alex, and the two stand to sheepishly smile at Sara, who is awake on the bed. Sara's face is pale, but Myne is happy to see that her eyes have brightened even since her last visit. Sara had not even gained full consciousness from her exorcism until two days after, and each day she seemed to look less hollow, and less tired. Myne steals Alex's chair by the bed, seating herself and taking Sara's hand in hers.

Myne gives her cousin a smile, "You are looking better. How do you feel?"

Sara returns the smile as she leans her head back on her pillows, "Less tired. And thank you for the personal meal yesterday; it meant a lot to have some of the foods that would remind me of home."

Myne watches as Sara scans the room, seeing Rauros watching her by the bed with his tongue out, and Alex trying to de-scruff his hair as they talked. The day before, Myne had also brought Roth with her, and while holding hands they had informed her of their relationship. It had brought a smile to Sara's face to hear it, although Sara had admitted that she was not surprised to hear of the development. She knew that Sara was noticing the ranger's absence.

"Roth isn't here, Sara. He is outside the city gates in the woods. It is hard for him to stay confined in the city walls, and I don't much blame him."

Myne begins to blush as she continues, "I... I actually can't stay long today. I'm meeting him for dinner."

From behind her she hears Alex in an exalted tone, "Ah, going out for an evening romp? _Your_ children will look equally adorable."

Sara gives them both a confused look as Myne's face continues to turn crimson.

Myne decides to own it though, giving Alex a defiant smile, "We _will_ enjoy our dinner, but will be back before nightfall, I promise you that. If it weren't for the military's curfew and the general's insistence that we stay within the castle, you would be less likely to find us in our room and more likely to find us under the stars in the woods. And what about you Sir Paladin? I'm surprised you haven't been called out to attend the generals...has Bolshyo asked for you today?"

Alex shakes his head, "Not yet. It is only a matter of time though. I believe he will call a meeting regarding the security of messengers as we try to reach out to important figures on the mainland of Nordost. It sounds like leaders and other political figures will be coming here for some kind of summit."

Myne squeezes Sara's hand once more before standing, "Well, I won't take your seat any longer. I know you will be here with her until called away. Sara, I am glad that I got to see you awake, and looking better. Please eat when the servants come with dinner, okay?"

Sara gives her cousin a dutiful nod, "I promise I will, Myne. And we will need to catch up, just you and I sometime, regarding these men who presume that they are getting children."

Myne grins as she sees Alex redden while taking his seat beside Sara, who had turned her attention to him and boldly gives him a rather seductive-looking smile.

With that, Myne gives a wave good-bye, quietly closing the door behind her to leave the two of them alone to talk while Sara had the strength to do so. She knew that they had a lot to catch up on, and Myne was sure it would prove better for Alex to help in her recovery to draw them close together once again. Sara was in Alex's care now, whatever he would say about it, and Myne could only be an onlooker as she watched her cousin recover.

Outside the city walls once again, she smiles at Rauros and says, "Well, buddy. Let's see where Roth has hidden himself, shall we?"

She sets out, her long gait allowing her to stride away from the city at a fast pace. She breathes deeply again, thinking about her cousin, and what she must have gone through. Whether or not Myne would ever hear that story had yet to be revealed, but she had to wonder whether Sara was a trapped, conscious soul in a body out of her control...and what Kyus and the other evils she was surrounded by did to her...or rather...what did the demon do _through_ her…

Her reveries are broken as she sees Rauros wrinkle his nose and grunt, "You smell him, Rauros? Lead on!"

Rauros takes off just a step in front of her, twisting and turning down a deer path through the woods, pressing through thick undergrowth and taking a fast turn to head up the side of a steep hill. Myne feels her muscles burn from the incline, and she drops to her hands, shapeshifting into a mountain lion to keep pace next to her companion, letting her claws grip the ground to aid her climb. With the aid of her new senses, she catches the scent of Roth on the breeze: musky leather and leaf mold. She also catches the scent of their dinner: freshly-baked bread, a soft cheese, and a heady, bitter green.

She could also smell something sweet and fruity, but could not place it in her mind, _A surprise_.

They emerge from the undergrowth onto the flat, rocky top of a tall hill, with Roth standing on alert with his bow drawn. He lowers his bow when they emerge; he must have realized that a bear and mountain lion would not normally run together.

Myne shapeshifts, giving him a grin, "Good hiding place, lover."

Roth gives her an excited smile, and gestures for her to join him on the outcrop where a basket, two glasses, and a green, long-necked bottle were set out on the bare rock, "You have to see this!"

She joins him on the warm, sun-soaked stone, looking out over the edge of the outcrop at the view below: the glittering blue Niknes River looked like a ribbon as it wound its way into the crater, the spray producing a prism above it.

Myne sighs as she takes in the sight with wonder, and Roth hands her a glass filled with a bubbly pink wine, "Ah, the sweet fruit I smelled…thank you Roth."

"It will be a wonder of a lake: that must be nearly two miles across and one hundred feet deep. I would not be surprised if it becomes a religious draw in the future. Look how deep and clear the water is: you can still see to the bottom, and the water is such a breathtaking blue-green. Nearly the color of your eyes."

Myne takes a seat on the rock, crossing her legs under her, letting Roth's words wash over her. She feels him sit behind her, letting his legs and arms envelop her. She feels absolute peace and comfort.

She continues to stare out at the beautiful lake, and her thoughts from earlier in the day catch up to her. She whispers, "What will become of us now?"

"I assume you're not just asking about me and you? From what I have heard in passing, and more just in feeling, it sounds like our duration here will be lengthy. There is much to do, and because of our hands in the resurrection, we will be asked to stay, I just know it. After that..." Roth shrugs his shoulders, "...we shall have to see what Golarion looks like at that point. We are in a new era; Golarion has not known the Starstone's touch for almost 500 years."


	59. Epilogue: 16th Sarenith-24th of Lamashan

**16th of Sarenith-23rd of Lamashan: Military, Political, and Religious Impact**

Alex salutes as another dignitary walks past him with their retinue. The summit's wine and cheese soiree had ended an hour ago, but smaller groups were still filing out of the ballroom while chattering about the outcomes of the meeting. The ballroom had been set up beautifully with white linens draped over tables set up in a circular fashion. The white stood out against the dark wood floors and dark granite walls. Silver chandeliers hung above the spread giving light to an otherwise dark space. The castle was, after all, built like a fortress, and windows were not to be found.

The summit had seated 23 military leaders and diplomats that would determine the fate of Isidore, and Nordost as a whole. Alex rubs his eyes from exhaustion; the summit had started in the morning at an early breakfast, and the diplomats finally rose from their seats after dinner to mingle over wine and cheese. Even the mingling over wine and cheese was tiring, since the decisions during the day had bled into the conversations over wine. The diplomats and military leaders had formed smaller cohorts, discussing the impact of their own particular situation with those of a similar mindset, and Alex found himself among the generals discussing the military, and the enforcement of the newly-proposed and agreed-upon political structures, but he did his best to remember every name at the table, and every bit of discussion and mingling that he could.

He spent much of his time with the Anian general Bolshyo Medvistan, who sat and discussed the coming transitions with Reginald Gathalkum, Head Commander of the Knights of Solaris, and Vyncent Desiosus, Lord General of the Knights of the Rose out of Reynes. Vyncent's sons sat next to him, each listening intently. Other cohorts included Coronal L. Griffith who was getting a little too close to the lovely and powerful Mariel Golenstar, High Sorceress of Avalon. Mariel was an elf, with soft features, her light blond hair tied back in a bun, and light green eyes that shimmered with her magical essence. She wore a flowing robe of purple, light and airy as if floating around her. Always by her side was Werdust Berswick, an elderly human that was balding, with a slightly crooked nose where his thin-rimmed glasses sat. A thin beard hung down over robes of orange and red, adorned with gold inlays. Werdust was a listener, and would only chime into the conversation if directly addressed, even then giving short, to-the-point answers.

In a far corner of the room the bellowing laugh of Bartilo Vicard, council member of Portilla, could be heard alongside the chuckles of Nabuzi Bonamzer of Kish, and Toby Westgrove, and Clemen Elderpatch; both representatives of the halflings of the newly-formed nation of Tolbishire. The three halflings Bartilo, Toby, and Clemen all stood just short of Nabuzi, though Bartilo stood out from his peers with his artistic wardrobe of greens and curling fabrics, his well-groomed moustache, and silky curly hair the color of obsidian. The other two halflings wore plain clothes and their hair was thick like straw. Nabuzi, being a Kishin, was well-dressed in fine linens, rare metals, and sparkling jewels. Each of his thick dwarf fingers sported a ring worth more than the whole of Kassen. Their laughing was broken only by short periods of pipe smoking, and drinking pints of dwarven stout.

Over near one of the unused fireplaces stood three representatives from nations on Nordost's eastern shore. From Orestes, there was senators Christof Marius and Dario Capitelli: two middle-aged humans, both with the short, dark-brown hair and the square jawlines known in Orestes. With them was Mangzi Litipipicus: a wealthy (if not the wealthiest) gnome from Meropis. His wild, uneven hair was dyed three hues of blue that matched his sky-blue robes. Despite being a third of the height of the humans, his presence dominated the discussion: it is through his trade caravans that a great deal of goods and services are moved throughout the continent. The group was later joined by Coyar Holari, an elf of Celahir Lossehelim. Coyar spent much of his time with his arms folded, nodding in agreement with where the discussion was going, and Alex presumed the conversation centered around how their three nations were to handle the transition of Isidorian influence being removed from the region. Mangzi, in particular, was probably eager to re-establish trade with Orestes as it had been under Isidorian control for some time.

In addition to these groups there were some who stayed mostly to themselves. The royal family of Isidore, Ishtar and Tommaz Uruk along with Ruzo Merammus, head of the Queen's Guard, stayed to their side of the table and only exchanged words with a few who approached them. On the far side of the room at another table was Romulus, a tiefling male who was the rebel leader in the south of the Isidorian mainland. Romulus was there to see the southern portion of the land given back to his people and re-establish the nation of Lacerta. Last was He-Lush-Ka Tocho, a male centaur tribal leader from Tactaochan. The centaur was broad-shouldered and broad-chested, which he showed off proudly by wearing a traditional, plain tribe vest. This man was a warrior, and the scars across his body proved it. He-Lush seemed to be going out of his way to avoid conversation with all present and Alex wondered why the nation sent a dignitary at all if they were not going to actively participate in the discussions. Though he understood the reasoning: the centaurs greatly distrusted the races and nations that have risen on the continent in the past few hundred years. When ships from the Inner Sea first landed on the coast of Nordost it was the centaurs who were displaced from their lands.

He was proud of himself that he could recall all the figures in the room, rubbing his eyes again to push the summit out of his mind. All the major decisions were made in ten hours of talking, map-examining, and negotiating, but now all the real work would start: the implementation of these decisions. It is late, well past nine o'clock, but he hopes he can spend some time with Sara before she would need to rest for the night. He strides down the now-familiar hallway to Sara's room, removing his cape from his shoulders when he is sure he will not run into any more high-ranking officials or military leaders. Not a month earlier, the hallways were vacant save for the few military leaders involved in the invasion, and his own group that had taken up residency in the castle after the Starstone's resurrection. In the last few weeks, the diplomats and generals from all the nations of Nordost had begun to arrive and take up rooms in the castle as well. The Isidorian castle could accommodate all the arrivals and their small band of scribes, attendants, and translators, but it certainly made the hallways come alive with a flurry of activity from dawn through nightfall. He drapes his cape over the crook of his arm, and adjusts the small stack of papers that he had been given from the generals: he was to have them read and analyzed by tomorrow, mid-morning. He could not do the work if his mind was on Sara, though.

He can see flickering light from underneath Sara's door, and hopes that she is still awake as he turns the handle and quietly swings the door open. He smiles wide when he sees Myne seated in an armchair near Sara's bed, and the two of them look like they have been talking happily to each other, with the glow from the hearth and a candle on the writing desk providing all the light they needed. Two dinner plates are also on the desk, empty save for a few crumbs.

In the four months since her exorcism, Sara had made slow, but steady progress in regaining her strength and sense of self. In early Arodus she was able to leave her bed for small amounts of time, and both he and Myne took turns helping her stroll through the castle to regain her strength. Earlier in Lamashan, she had confided in him that her possession passed as a waking nightmare; that she was somewhat aware of her surroundings, but completely out of control of her body, like a helpless passenger. Sometimes her surroundings would be foggy, and she would be barely able to see anything, and other times Aeshma took delight in showing her what was going on around her with crisp detail. She was able to recall the Battle at Avalon and the horrid destruction - including the death of his father - with vivid detail. He was glad that she was able to confide in him, and hopefully sharing her tale would aid in her recovery, but what the evil demon had done to her had filled him with a rage that was not easily quelled. Seeing his love able to converse happily with her cousin gave him hope that all was not lost, and that Sara truly could recover.

The girls turn to regard him, and Myne eyes the stack of papers in his hand before saying, "Oh look, our group's representative at the big, fancy summit has returned...with homework. How did it go, Captain Alex?"

Alex drapes his cape over the writing desk chair, and places his papers on the desk with a sigh, "It went...I have never seen so many high-ranking politicians and military leaders in the same room. You would not believe it, but all of the major decisions were made. Do you remember the Treaty of Andora that the Isidorian Queen signed a few days after the resurrection? That was just the beginning, since it simply acknowledged that she and her son Prince Tommaz were under Kyus' sway. The Treaty ended the Isidorian military advancement into Nordost, with Queen Ishtar commanding the withdrawal of her troops and a cessation of hostilities. While most of the troops obeyed this order, some did not, and have defected, running loose on the mainland. There are also Kyus' high-ranking masked leaders; two of them are still unaccounted for. I was able to provide them with information from our interrogation of Armorette, giving them the names Athuzbar and Laralas. Despite Kyus' study being seized and dismantled with extreme care, there was little gleaned from the room in terms of information, and that is unsettling. They are hungry for more information about Kyus and the Organization, even in his death. His reach was far, and deep."

Myne grips Sara's hand for comfort as she leans back into her pillows, and says, "What good is it to linger on an organization whose purpose is moot? What can Kyus' survivors hope to accomplish now?"

Alex sighs, running his hands through his hair, "That is the issue; we cannot know their motives now that Kyus is gone and the Starstone resurrected, but they are still an unknown threat. It was not the only topic, either...that was a rather small piece in the grand scheme of things. The state of Isidore was discussed with Queen Ishtar. Despite Martial Law being lifted at the end of Arodus, the Alliance still held the political and military control of her country up until this summit.

"The Isidorian Empire is to be split, the southern third of the island given back to the small population of tiefling immigrants who originally came to the continent to avoid persecution. It is now named Lacerta, and Kapuma will be its capital. The west-central hills will be given to the halflings; the grassy, low rolling-hills are perfect for their lifestyle. The east-central portion of the island will remain in the control of the Isidorian royal family, though stripped of its armies and its ability to mass-produce weapons. The northern reaches of the island will become the new kingdom of Minerva, with Agatha as its capital. The land has been given to the Desiosus highborn family for their years of service to the western alliance and leadership during the past two wars. Vyncent Desiosus has been declared a lord and given the land to govern...that part was quite emotional for Vyncent.

"On the mainland of Stora, Orestes was handed back to the Senate, and Onogoro back to the dwarves. That has already transpired since the Treaty, but it has taken time for the orders to be carried out, and the troops to withdraw. The dwarves have crowned a new king, but taking back all the regions of Onogoro has proven difficult, and there are still skirmishes that break out when more Isidorian defectors and sympathizers are found in the deeper caverns. I have been tasked with coming up with some strategies to aid in the effort to remove the threats, hence the paperwork. Orestes, on the other hand, seems like it will be able to return to its status as a republic much quicker."

Alex ticks off on his fingers a fourth issue, "There is also the threat of the new barbarian king of Argos. The tribes are being united under an orc lord named Dangjok, and his tact has given his surrounding neighbors pause, and due cause for caution. Ani, Onogoro, and Orestes are keeping a vigilant lookout for any possible threats. And these are just the political and military issues...there's still the impact of the Starstone itself on Golarion. There are whisperings and rumors of magical entities and creatures emerging...it sounds like the Pathfinders will be enlisted to investigate, since Cygar was on hand to offer their assistance, but the details of that will be worked out at a later date, sometime in Neth by the sounds of it. All of us will be invited to that meeting."

Sara nods at Alex, "The impact of the Starstone can already be felt. Myne and I walked out to the crater today, and bathed in new Lake Abzu for a little bit. While you military and political-types talked away over the maps, we saw religious and magical scholars from Luna and Avalon at the lakeside. They were taking measurements, praying to their gods, and talking with the locals that witnessed the resurrection. Many of the locals claim that the lake has special properties because of its origin. I don't much blame the claims; the lake is crystal clear, and bathing in the lake, despite it being a bit cold, gave me a rejuvenation of my spirit that I did not expect."

Myne smiles at her cousin, and continues for her, "The scholars are saying that the resurrection day may become the true beginning of the New Astra Era. Sara and I both feel magic flowing into Golarion like a torrent of water...it would not surprise me if much that has slumbered has been awoken."

Beside her, Sara gives a little yawn, and Myne continues, "Well, since you're here, Alex, I'll leave you two alone to talk. I'm glad that we had someone at the table for these meetings, and it sounds like we still have much to do. Have a good night!"

Myne gives Sara a hug, stands from her seat, and ushers Alex to take her place. As he takes the seat, Myne pads to the door, and gives them both a smile before closing the door behind her. Alex's eyes linger on the door briefly, giving a quiet thanks to Iomedae that Sara had a close family member like Myne to confide in when he could not be at her side. They were all somewhat stranded in a foreign place, and he was grateful that the two cousins had each other as a comfort.

He turns to Sara with a smile, "So, you two went out to the lake today? I regret not being able to join you, since I heard it was quite a nice day despite the season."

Sara nods, stretching her arms and resting back into her pillows, "Yes, it was a beautiful day. Myne did have to carry me for part of the walk back from the lake. I got tired...her shapeshifting forms are so useful, but I'm more curious about what happened at the summit."

She motions an arm to the writing desk where his papers sit, coldly waiting for his attention, and continues, "The generals must trust your judgement if you have been given work to do."

Alex takes her hand, softly running a finger over her palm before answering, "This is not the first time General Medvistan has put his trust in me for strategy...from our informal discussions over wine tonight, I foresee Bolshyo taking a vested interest in my military role after we leave Isidore behind."

Sara turns a hopeful look to Alex, " _We?_ "

Alex blinks as he realizes the meaning behind her question, stammering under the pressure of her beautiful grey eyes, "I only meant our group as a whole...but…"

She continues to look at him, waiting for a fuller explanation, and he finally continues, "I...I don't want to burden you with worries of the future right now. I just want your recovery…with or without me-"

He shudders as he watches a spark light up her grey eyes, and she cuts him off, "With or without you? Alex, what on Golarion do you think you're trying to do here?"

Alex stammers under her flare-up, surprised at her passion and energy, and quickly brings her hand up to his lips to gently kiss the back of her hand before mustering the courage to speak, "Sara, I...I love you. I love you more than the nation I serve; more than the goddess I serve! I love you enough to die for you, but you have suffered so much, and our futures are so...in flux...that I still want to take all the care in Golarion to ensure you are not hindered in your recovery."

Sara's expression softens, the orange fire in her eyes dimming to a warm ember, her tone also softened, "I have suffered, but I am not broken, Alex. I love you. I love you enough to kill a half-orc to protect you; enough to find my way back to you. Anything more you have to say to me will be a comfort, not a burden."

She glares at him, waiting to see what he would do, and he decides to try to circle around her demand, "I know...I am almost certain that General Medvistan will ask for me to become one of his leaders stationed on the border between Ani and Argos to watch over the barbarian tribes. There is a city there, Aniva, that is quickly becoming an important Anian military position in light of the destruction of the capital at Elysia, and Bolshyo mentioned it in conversation to me more than once tonight...and I will likely have to travel with the military on their maneuvers and other missions. I don't know what will happen to me, but all of this is still months away-"

"Alex."

"Y...yes, love?"

She bats her eyes at him alongside her statement that carries a demand, "I want to be with you, wherever you are."

He attempts to barrel on under her gaze, "We have time...and we are together here. I also refuse to accept orders and a station until I can put my own affairs in order in Kassen. My family's estate must be taken care of, and since I have no desire to become the lord of Kassen, someone else must be found."

She smiles coquettishly at him, batting her eyes, "Does this mean you will be taking me home, then? And speaking to my father about something, right?"

"Sara...I...I don't know if I will be able to be the one to take you home, but I will make sure you are able to go home as soon as you are well enough to make the journey, and I can find proper transportation for you. I swear to the gods that I will come back to Kassen for you-"

Sara pulls at the strings on her chemise as he flounders, giving him a daring smile as she pulls the garment over her head, leaving her nude under her covers before continuing, "...aaand?"

Alex gives an audible groan at the sight of her. He wanted to reach out to Sara, wanted to take her in his arms for more than just the kisses that he had bestowed upon her since her exorcism, but had held himself at bay for the sake of her recovery. He had not pushed her on the subject of their relationship going forward, but inside he was desperate for her. It seemed that tonight, she would push back for him to reveal his intentions.

In an unblinking stare at Sara, Alex mutters, "I'll...I'll just...just take my boobs, er...I mean boots off then, shall I?"

Sara nods invitingly at him as he stands to pull at his boots, then concentrates on the laces on his breeches. He was still concerned that she was not well enough for what she wanted, and his eyes briefly scan the room, landing on his papers on the writing desk.

"Sara, are you sure you're well enough? Because I have my papers-"

"Alex!"

He gives her a small grin and a nod, quickly throwing his tunic over his head, the shirt landing on the writing desk and scattering his papers about the room as he slips under the covers with his love.

 **24th of Lamashan: Love's Impact**

The light of dawn breaks through the curtains in Sara's room, and Alex feels himself being pulled out of sleep by the invasion. He grunts, rolling over to avoid the light, and finds the soft skin of Sara at his side. He gathers her up in his arms, feeling her stir at the movement, and gives her a light kiss on her shoulder. She holds tight to his arms, laughing lightly at his presence.

In the light of morning, Alex wanted the moment to go on forever, and he gives Sara another squeeze as he whispers, "Marry me?"

He feels Sara squeeze his arms, giggling at him before rolling over to face him.

She gives him a long kiss, lightly touching upon his chest before whispering, "Of course. It is what I was waiting for you to say to me last night. I could not wish for anything else."

He holds tight to her, relief warming his thoughts, _She is mine to love and care for._

Out loud, he says, "I will not consider our engagement official until I can speak with your father, but you are all I could wish for as well, Sara. I want to stay here all day with you."

She gives him a warm smile, running her hands through his tousled hair and touching upon the light scruff at his cheek, "Well, my fiancé, from what I recall you have work to do. You had best find your pants and have a shave so you're presentable to your generals. I wouldn't want you to lose your position because of me."

Alex sits up quickly in a moment of panic, "Oh gods! The papers! I... I have to present in a couple of hours!"

Alex looks around the room, scanning the floor and all the papers that had been scattered like confetti from the night before.

Sara giggles at him as he leaps from bed and begins finding his clothing, then scoops up his papers in an untidy pile before turning his attention to her, "I love you, I'm so glad you're going to be my wife...but I have to get to my room to-"

"Yes, I know Alex. Go do what you do best, my paladin."

Two hours later, Alex finds himself standing before the generals of Ani, Solaris, Reynes, and Onogoro with a clean-shaven face and a fresh uniform. Inside, the rest of him was still in bed, bedclothes wrapped around his mind and Sara at his heart. He was going to marry the love of his dreams, and nothing else truly mattered at the moment. He straightens his papers as he tries to clear his throat; he had only given _some_ of his papers a cursory glance, and he had planned to bullshit his way through this meeting. His thoughts about stealth infiltrations and tunnel combat are interrupted when his finger catches on a burnt edge of one of his papers. Sara's magic was back, and he briefly recalls the moment of her fiery outburst during their night.

In a hazy dream, he hears General Medvistan reach his consciousness, "Captain Shieldheart, is something the matter?"

He clears his throat again, able to remove the bedclothes from his mind as he stands straighter, "My apologies, sir. Saraneth...she...made significant progress in her recovery last night, and I… and I…"

The huge Anian general's face softens beneath his red beard, his eyes and mouth crinkling into a smile of understanding, "Captain, I know that whatever progress Miss Mithendian has made in her healing must be significant indeed if it has caused my most diligent officer to be so diverted. Why don't we postpone this meeting for tomorrow, same time?"

The other generals nod in understanding, giving him small smirks, since nearly everyone in the castle was aware of how much time he spent in Sara's room. General Medvistan even knew to come knocking on Sara's door first rather than his own when he was needed.

Alex blushes hotly under their knowing smiles before saluting, "Th... Thank you for understanding, sir. I promise to be better-prepared tomorrow."


	60. Epilogue: 25th of Lamashan-28th of Neth

**25th of Lamashan-28th of Neth: Shrouds Pulled Close**

Tarian's smug expression follows him all the way back to Mastodon's room. The barbarian had invited Tarian and Lo back to his room for drinks and cards after their gruelling meeting with the generals Medvistan and Desiosus, and Cygar. In a small, secluded room, the group had been politely asked to reveal everything that had happened to them on the day of the Starstone's resurrection after leaving Captain Ruzo in the castle. Their covert mission had been kept quiet, and they had not been pressed to tell that tale until now.

He could recall the small room and what was said with fine detail: the generals with their arms crossed, Cygar with his quill poised to take notes. Added to the three leaders was their group, without Bo and Sara, all seated comfortably around a large wooden table that occupied the majority of the small meeting room. The generals had a hopeful expression; they hungered for any new information that the group could relay about the events of that day. From the group, Alex was direct, and tactical about the infiltration, taking down Kyus, and then their mysterious ascension. Poppet was aloof, keeping to herself in a corner of the room, allowing the shiny paladin to do the talking. Myne was emotional as she tried to explain their ascension. Lo only gave some small explanation of the white granite musical notes and the song he played. Roth and Mastodon likewise contributed little, remaining silent and letting others tell the tale.

General Medvistan was taken aback by the whole thing, General Desiosus was pacing the room, and Cygar was scribbling furiously. The generals had then revealed that in their months of investigation, they had gleaned little about Kyus, other than his manipulation of Queen Ishtar his direct involvement in orchestrating the war, and somehow leading this Organization to this point. They wanted more about Kyus, and the Organization, and he recalls feeling the heat of their gaze upon him as they questioned the group for more information.

Tarian had been particularly disgruntled at being grilled by the generals and Cygar about information regarding Kyus, but in truth there was little that he could have given them anyway, though he had his own theories about who or _what_ Kyus really was. He could just be thankful that his father's journal did not end up in the hands of the Pathfinders or the generals of the alliance. He had worked for too long to get it back, and he felt he was within his rights to not have to give it or its contents up.

In Mastodon's room, Tarian pours himself a generous glass of a blush wine while listening to Lo and Mastodon talk about their plans once they leave Isidore. He already knew what he was going to do: head to Ano Liosia and continue to run his guild. There was gold to be made, and he felt no obligation to continue his service to the Pathfinders. He had to be honest with himself too: just over a year ago, he had set out from Kassen as part of a coming-of-age ceremony for the daughter that had unexpectedly been brought into his life, and along the way he found the connections to his parent's murderers that he had been unable to bring together on his own. No other agenda truly mattered, other than revenge and gold; not that he would withhold information from the Pathfinders-for a price.

He sits at the writing desk next to Lo in time to hear the bard say, "Let Golarion take me, I have nowhere to be, but I want to see more."

Mastodon begins dealing out cards, shaking his head at the unbridled bard as he says, "Family and duty calls. Gangai will be a stop for me, and then I will likely end up as a wealthy piece of muscle for Tarian, should he offer such a position."

Tarian leans back in his chair as he examines his cards, looking over the tops of them with a smirk, "If you want to continue to be in my employ in Ano Liosia, then you are only too welcome. I would say that my daughter can take care of herself, wouldn't you?"

Mastodon shakes his head while wearing a grin, "I'm not sure why you bothered to pay me for that part."

Tarian sighs as he plays his first card, "She doesn't need her father watching over her, that's for sure. She will know where to find me for anything, though."

Lo throws down a card, trumping Tarian's king, "Gold is calling. You will adapt well to the life of a city elf. I'll make sure to visit, though I have no plans at the moment...perhaps a visit to Orestes first..."

Mastodon follows suit, giving a glance to the bard, "Despite Orestes being handed over to the senate again, you had best watch your back since the generals still do not have a good handle on Kyus' loyalists; General Desiosus was quite disappointed with what we were able to give them. If I had to go rogue, Orestes seems just the place to stay close enough to Isidore for information while staying hidden in the city of Zerzura."

He looks to Tarian and continues, "So, your father's journal seems to be the key to Kyus that you were unwilling to give up in our meeting. What exactly is in it?"

Tarian glares at the barbarian as Lo picks up the cards on the table, throwing down another to start the next round. He considers the fact that the generals of the alliance and the Pathfinders in the room were after any information on Kyus that they had. Alex had matter-of-factly given all that he could remember of their encounters with Kyus, and Tarian was only too happy to let him talk. It wasn't until the dark elf Embrose sauntered in with copies of the letters from his father's journal that all eyes turned to him. Tarian had even tried to demand proof of the journal; he tried denying its very existence until the dark elf's raven opened its beak. After that, he supposed that he must have looked pretty guilty.

His expression softens to a smirk at the barbarian's suppositions, "That is for the Yestare family to know."

Lo snorts at his smug response, "Aye, the little lady knows something, but defers to daddy."

Tarian shakes his head at the poke, "My father did not let me read his journal when I was a boy, but since getting it back, I have read through it countless times. There is no mention of Kyus in it, though your assumptions that it is about the Organization...the Shrouds...are accurate, and I will leave it at that. Let my father rest in peace...and yes, I did share it with my daughter. She is blood, and that journal is written by her grandfather. So, despite her pressing me in that meeting to reveal what I do know, she did well to defer to me. I will not have that journal leave my hands again, not for any agenda in Golarion."

Lo tempers his attitude, and Mastodon gives Tarian a little bow of his head, and says, "May your father rest in peace...though you may not. You are lucky that our status from this effort has somewhat elevated you. I'm surprised that General Desiosus did not try to reach across the table and strangle you for the information. It was General Medvistan that reminded him of who we are... The Seven...those directly involved in the resurrection of the Starstone, and the demise of Kyus."

Tarian shrugs his shoulders at Mastodon, "They seem to think they can get the information they need elsewhere. Good luck to them, I say."

Lo runs his fingers through his long, black hair as he attempts to lighten the mood, "At least the meeting afterwards with the Pathfinders was easy. All Cygar, William, and Bethara were after is voluntary service; the investigation of the magical changes happening throughout Nordost. The Violet Minstrel says I can always pop back into Morrona for some fun if I want it, even though I'm declining the call."

Mastodon throws down another card to remind them of their game as he picks up where Lo had left off, "The Pathfinders have a noble cause, but it seems very few of us will take them up on their request for aid. Rest, and a life not on the road will be most welcome for me. Poppet, or _Pari_ as Cygar remembers her to be, will stay in contact with the Pathfinders but in her own way...as a contact more than one of service. Alex will have his obligations to the military of Ani and to Saraneth…' _a duty to country and love_ ' as he puts it. Seems that Myne and Roth will be the only ones to continue to carry the Pathfinder coin. Sounds like they will be stationed at Pathfinders Headquarters in Gangai together, so perhaps I may even see them in passing. May Gorum guide their arrows and claws."

Tarian throws down a card and adds his two cents, "I will keep in contact with the Pathfinders as well...it's a good source of information, and I can keep tabs on Myne, should she get interesting again. I have a guild to run, and gold to make, as Lo put it so nicely earlier."

Lo shrugs his shoulders, "None of us is obligated to help, we have been through enough."

Mastodon gives the bard a little shove, "And yet I believe that you have been asked to perform at the new year's celebration before the first of Abadius, and you have obliged them in that request, yes?"

Lo smiles, "No need to ask, really. I have been trying to replicate Eden's song since the resurrection, and I need a good platform. Performing for the highest powers in Nordost on the eve of a new era seems just about right for what I had in mind. It will be a crowning achievement if I can even come close to conveying the emotion and power in that song. 'Tis strange that even a day after the resurrection, I could not directly recall the notes, as if they have been magically erased from my memory. But I shall come as close as I can..."

After a long night of drinking, cards, and talking, Tarian retires to his room alone. He lights a candle at his writing desk, and from a secret compartment under his bed he pulls out his bag of holding. After rummaging around inside, his hands find his father's journal, and his finger also snags upon the chain of the agate pendant found with the journal in Kyus' study. He sets his father's journal aside for a moment as he examines the pendant that he had honestly forgotten about in the wake of finding the journal. He closes his eyes, remembering back to Kassen's Crypt, when their adventures began. Kassen had told them that there were three pieces, three amulets held by Kassen, Asar, and Eremine. At the time, they had assumed that the Shrouds had stolen both Kassen's and Asar's amulets, and Eremine had gifted her amulet piece to Myne. After finding only one piece in Kyus' study, it left one piece still out there. He shudders with glee as he remembers that there was a great treasure that the three pieces unlocked. He scoffs at the notion that 'no one person should have the treasure'; he could have it. In the meantime, there were other objects of value that he was able to hold, and he was in the mood to read through his father's journal one more time.

He sighs as he lovingly caresses the worn leather of the binding, and then eases the brittle cover open to read through the journal once again. He was not sure what he hoped to accomplish with another readthrough, perhaps he was just relishing the fact that the journal was still firmly in his possession, and that he had family to share it with.

He closes his eyes before focusing on the first entry, _Rest in peace, father. You did what you could do in the end..._

 _ **Milon Aldavar Yestare Journal: The Shrouds Clear**_

 _4651_

 _The Shrouds of Abaddon have bestowed upon me the honor of Historian and Scribe. I will wear this robe of black with pride. My duty is to record our progress as we restore the world to glory following Aroden's death several decades ago. The seat of Absalom has always been the center of the Inner Sea. They thought themselves a stabilizing force, one that issued peace across the realms. They never did so. War always raged, death around every corner. Now with Aroden gone we can right this wrong. They are weak, leadership is unstable, it will be a simple task to infiltrate the Inner Sanctum at this time. When we do, we shall reveal to the world the filth and lies that has been told for centuries. Our true protector will live again and an age of prosperity shall begin._

 _4655_

 _Over the last few years our organization has grown and prospered. Davros Gnir brought us all together last night and announced that now is the time to begin our master plan. We know what must be done will extend many years. There are members among us that will not see the fruits of their labor in their lifetime. Yet committed they still are. We will slowly begin to infiltrate the inner circle of the Ascendent Court and eventually the Starstone Cathedral. Once we have gained access to the inner sanctum Davros says we can use its power to raise our Lord from his earthly slumber. For the power of Eden that bound him is the only thing that can break his chains. Using the Starstone we will syphon its energy into the Black Crystals found within the Steaming Sea. They are the crystallized blood of our Lord. Just like the Starstone and its fragments, they too resonate together. So through even the few shards we are able to gather, the energy we syphon should reach the bound god far below._

 _4661_

 _Several of our members have been initiated into the Graycloaks under the watch of Runewulf the Unbeliever..._

 _4672_

 _I have been initiated into the clergy of the Ascendant Court._

 _4673_

 _My talent for the written word has been noticed by the clergy and I have been assigned as one of the scribes of the Ascendant Court._

 _4679_

 _A major setback for our cause. Members of the Shrouds have been found out by the Graycloaks. A witch hunt for other members is now under way. Davros has given a final message before we go into silence for some time. In that message, he has promoted me to a robe of gray. No longer am I a lower member of the organization._

 _4685_

 _We have begun to move once again. New Shroud members have begun filling the ranks of the Graycloaks and some clergy._

 _4690_

 _Conflict in the Ascendant Court! Two days ago there was a major riot during Devil's Night. It seems displaced nobles from Cheliax fought against the Graycloaks to burn down the temple of Asmodeus. Our members are on edge, and keeping communication to a minimum. The guard has stepped up security substantially._

 _4695_

 _Davros Gnir has passed away. His successor Aran Tirius has mandated that we will soon act. We have the necessary personnel now within the ranks of the Ascendant Court, all that is left is to carefully plan out how to gain access to the Starstone itself._

 _4698_

 _Tomorrow is the day. Several months ago, member Ariel Ponorus was granted the title of Grand Cleric. This gave her direct access to the inner sanctum. The rise of our Lord is soon upon us!_

 _4698_

 _Something went wrong, terribly wrong with our plan. We gained access to it, the Starstone, I saw it in all its glory. It was beautiful. Twelve of us gained access, taking out several guards in the process. We began the incantation, using the black crystals as our source, but then the ground began to quake. Portions of the structure started to collapse, Ariel Ponorus and four others we crushed beneath falling stone. In the chaos, we fled. With only eight of us we could not complete the ritual anyway._

 _The damage was not limited to just the inner sanctum. A bridge tying the Ascendant Court to the rest of the city collapsed, large portions of the neighborhood of Beldrin's Bluff fell into the sea, and the section named the Puddles becomes permanently swamped with water._

 _This is a major blow to everything we have worked for._

 _4698_

 _We have again been set back in our plans. In total 8 of our members lost their lives this day. The inner sanctum has been closed off indefinitely for assessment and repairs. The clergy relocated off site while damaged buildings are repaired. It will take time for us to recruit new members and infiltrate the ranks of the Ascendant Court once again. This has obviously been the work of Eden, she has caused this catastrophe and killed our members in order to stop us. We are stronger though and we shall remain vigilant._

 _4705_

 _It has been difficult these last few years in recruiting new members. Our numbers are few and due to our work undercover it has been difficult for the organization to spread its word. Those of us not on the mission have had some success though, and several new members have come on board. They will be trained and then begin their infiltration._

 _4718_

 _I have been promoted to Grand Scribe and given access to the Ascendant Court archives._

 _4718_

 _The knowledge I have found within these manuscripts has been enlightening. I have begun digging further for details, but I have become wary of our mission here. After all these years, all this time, I have my doubts._

 _4719_

 _I found it! Lost for all these years, the truth was buried beneath hundreds of scrolls from the Azlanti era. Though the information is limited, there is no doubt that it is a clear indication of what was responsible for the destruction of Azlant. According to the records there was an expedition to a northern region of the Azlant territory. They dug deep, and found a place with the markings similar to those which we use as symbols of our god Abaddon. The text describes that they attempted to open some seal, a door, that contained a powerful entity. This is magic the Azlanti wanted. Their civilization was already on the decline and they wished to use it to strengthen themselves once again._

 _4720_

 _Much has happened in the year since my last entry into this journal. I could no longer hold back the concerns I felt towards our mission in the Ascendent Court. Against my better judgement I confronted Aran and showed him the information I found within the court's archives. His reaction was as expected: I was stripped of my position in the organization, and if it were not for my decades of loyal service I would have been executed as a traitor. Aran, knowing how much his successor Davros saw in me, decided to spare my life. Two other members accompanied me by ship, seeing that I make it to the destination of Kalsgard. Being one of the furthest ports from the Inner Sea and Absalom, I would pose little threat to their mission. The threat of death accompanied that as well. I admit I am a coward and fear the repercussions if I try and do anything. I will try and make a home for myself here. With my knowledge of the written and spoken word I should find employment easy to come by._

 _4721_

 _Gone, it is all gone. The Ascendent Court, Absalom, the greatness that was the Inner Sea, it is all gone. Wiped out in an instant. Word of what happened is just reaching us in Kalsgard. Accounts detail a great blinding light, the quaking of the ground, and finally a massive wave that overtook seaside cities and towns. They say the Inner Sea lay red with the blood of those that were swept out into its waters. I know it in my heart that this event is connected with the Shrouds of Abaddon. If they truly were able to carry out their plan and begin the resurrection of the God of Destruction, there is no telling what kind of power they could unleash. The last time this was attempted it nearly shook the city apart. If they were able to gather more of the Black Crystals and complete more of the resurrection process, there is no telling the kind of destructive power they could unleash. Even enough to destroy the Inner Sea._

 _My heart is heavy knowing that I played a part in the deaths of millions._

 _4721_

 _I can't even take my own life. I am weak, pathetic._

 _4723_

 _It is time for me to crawl out of my sorrowful state. For two years I have attempted to take my own life sunk to the bottom of a bottle. Today my eyes were finally opened. It was so simple really. It was the children. I watched them play from afar and I began to cry. This was different from the grief I have felt, they were tears of joy. To know that despite all the death, all the chaos in the world, these children can still smile, still play, still live without fear. That is how I want things to remain._

 _I have the knowledge, the insight that can stop a future calamity. I have some reproduced information that was lost in Absalom. I will put my thoughts to paper, and let the truth be known._

 _Let it be known this transcription comes from the records of Aroden the last Azlanti before his passing. These notes found in the archives of the Ascendant Court have been reproduced by my hand and may be the only surviving records. Fate has entrusted this information to me in the hope that this will be the last calamity to plummet this world into darkness._

 _Long live Eden, Goddess of light and creation. Forgive me of my past, and the suffering that I have caused._

 _Before Records, Before Time:_

 _In the beginning there was only darkness, an eternity of nothing but a dark void, devoid of light, sound, and warmth. No mortal knows how long this time lasted, but it did not last forever. Out of the void came powerful elemental visitors, some say crossing from a higher plane of existence. These grand beings came and filled the void with the elements, crashing together at times in violent storms and within the void came the worlds and stars of the heavens. After eons of chaos and churning skies and seas the elemental beings grew tired and would rest after seeing their creation completed, but before they fell into slumber they with the last of their raw energy form the successors that would watch over this new realm. Those beings were Eden and Abaddon._

 _The elementals bestowed upon the two the ability to create and to destroy, each given one of these powers. To Eden the power of creation, to Abaddon the power of destruction, as no one being should be given absolute power they were split between them. Eden devoted her time to filling the newly created worlds with a vast array of life, making each realm unique. Chaos balanced the ever-growing populations by limited the time in which life and matter could stay in this realm of existence, and for many ages this balance stayed in effect. Before long some of the creatures Eden had created grew into intelligent beings, becoming self aware and acknowledging their existence because of Eden, and they loved her and worshiped to her. An emotion of love was something Eden had never experienced before. Though she had created such an emotion she had never been loved herself. This grew on her and she came to love her creations back. Abaddon saw how these creations came to love Eden, and Eden's love in return, and became overwhelmed with jealousy. He with his power of destruction broke the planar boundaries and summoned forth an army of demons, devils and other vile beings which he sent forth to destroy the creations of Eden. Countering Abaddon's attack Eden created mighty warriors, each with their own strengths and set them forth, this has come to be known as the War of Gods._

 _The war lasted for tens of thousands of years by our interpretation of time. In the end Eden and Abaddon faced off, each standing with their strongest of warriors. Upon the realm of Golarion, the two parties clashed in a fearsome battle. Eden, being a creature of creation, could no longer bear to see her children suffer, and with her full strength sacrificed much of her power in sealing Abaddon and his generals away for all time. Severely weakened Eden granted each of her remaining warriors the powers to watch over her creations here on Golarion, and with that Eden too passed into a deep slumber, sealing herself away close to Golarion to watch over the imprisoned Abaddon. The warriors of Eden became the greater deities we know today and life on Golarion prospered and flowed through time and space unhindered._

 _The following millennia saw the rise of grand civilizations beginning with the serpentfolk who rose to power long before man. They would dominate the lands of southern Golarion and the continent of Arcadia and would become as we know of as the First Astra Era._

 _The first human civilization to make its mark upon Golarion was the powerfully magical and technological people of Azlant. For thousands of years Azlant was unmatched in power. However other countries would rise, Thassilon rose, founded by exiles from Azlant and ruled by powerful wizard kings known as Runelords. During a time when Azlant was unmatched in power, many of their resources were devoted to the study of magic and the natural world. They searched the globe for the unique and strange, dug deep, looking for mysteries. For the Azlanti they were at the height of their power, but all this would suddenly come crashing down._

 _In the age of Azlant there were two moons that graced the sky. One being the moon we still see in the night sky to this day. The other a great crystalline sphere that brought a shimmering brilliance to the world below, called the Starstone. The Azlanti discovered it was from the Starstone that the power of magic came. Its radiance filled the world with the gift of magic._

 _What the Azlanti did not know and that I now offer my expertise on, is the the Starstone was in fact the slumbering Eden, her form after sacrificing herself to seal Abaddon away. It is to Eden that the gods are granted their power and that magic may filter into our world._

 _As Azlant grew more powerful as time went on they became saturated by arrogance and pride. Some say it was the gods' doing, others say it was powerful magic brought upon by an ancient civilization that raised the Azlanti out of barbarism, but 11,000 years ago the civilizations of Azlant and Thassilon would be extinguished by the Starstone._

 _Known as Earthfall the Starstone tumbled to Golarion, shattering the continent of Azlant into fragmented islands. This event kicked off a thousand years of darkness. Around the Inner Sea the majority of elves that once inhabited Golarion departed via the Sovyrian Stone or retreated to the far north, the jungles, or the darklands. As the Darklands became home to fleeing races and creatures the dwarfs, united under the new king Taargick, decided to abandon their subterranean homes and would emerge for the first time upon the surface of Golarion. Driven out by righteous dwarves heading for the surface, Orcs too would emerge onto the surface of the world. This was the beginning of a thousand years of darkness, and what has become known as the 1st Umbra Era._

 _While details are scarce I believe the falling of the Starstone was no accident. Some kind of event must have triggered it to happen. I predict this because of what happened at the Ascendent Court years ago. Our tampering with remnants of Abaddon and Eden caused the ground to quake, and inevitably destroy the Inner Sea. Could it be that the Azlanti tampered as well? Perhaps knowingly or not. As far as I know the ancient ruins of Azlant offer no answers to this. Somewhere out there the answer may lay hidden away for the time being._

 _This next age saw the expansion of the Inner sea, with new and powerful civilizations built upon the ruins of the old. These ancients founded mighty pyramids and the aeromancers who would establish their now legendary flying cities. However as soon as humanity tasted power once again, fate sent a new destruction to Golarion, dragons, some say they followed the dwarfs and orcs out of the depths of Golarion, and others say the powerful magic of the sorcerer kings gave birth to them. Whatever the case once they were released they spread across the Inner sea, and even to Nordost where they appeared roughly 7000 years ago. Dragons were not the only creatures to come out of the depths during this time, the Spawn of Rovagug, the Tarrasque, caused the flying city of Kho to come crashing down into the Barrier Wall Mountains. This age lasted almost two millennia._

 _Almost 5000 years ago Aroden, the last of the pure blooded Azlanti, raised the Starstone from the depths of the sea and became a living god, marking the beginning of the 2nd Astra Era. The Inner Sea became the center of the new god, and he would found Absalom. The stone now rests in the largest cathedral of the Ascendant Court where anyone can take the Test of the Starstone in order to attempt ascension to godhood. So far, only three mortals are known to have succeeded in the task, Cayden Cailean, Iomedae, and Norgorber. Some say the Starstone contains the last essence of Eden, and why those who complete the trial become gods. Nevertheless, the Inner Sea found its strength again, and for the next 4000 years would expand it barriers and strengthen like never before. Powerful nations like Cheliax, whose leaders of the House Thrune cast a dark shadow over the empire, rose due to the aid of devilry. While other nations found powerful new technologies amongst the ruins of ancient civilizations._

 _Aroden, like all things, would not last forever. The time did come, that Aroden left the land of the living. There are none who truly know what happened to Aroden, or if he is alive or dead. Death is the most presumed option as his faithful clerics no longer receive his blessings. There are many theories that exist, but whatever the cause it left the Ascendent Court without its ruler and the Starstone unprotected._

 _It was during this time that the Inner Sea and the lands around it descended into chaos. The World Wound reopened, and the Eye of Abendego began churning off the western coast. Wars broke out and famine spread. These were dark times, and scholars mark this as the beginning of the 2nd Umbra Era. However, this would only be the beginning of the dark times. Tales around the Inner Sea talk of a great light and shaking of the world. Waves taller than the tallest temple washed away the cities and townships along the coast. Brave souls found that the city of Absalom and Ascendant Court at the center of the Inner Sea were gone without a trace. The skies grew dark and a maelstrom churned the oceans just off the coast of the Inner Sea. The Eye of Abendego as it would be called, made travel to the West impossible and escape from the nightmare that churned the sea a doomed fate. Creatures that long inhabited the world vanished, the mage's power dwindled, and the gods would no long answer the people's prayers._

 _4723_

 _I feel free and at peace for the first time in some years. This is the righteous path, the true path, the path I must live. The people need to know the truth, for history is covered in lies and deception. I will make it my life's work to snuff out these fires of deceit. It will not be an easy road to walk, and I am sure I will make many enemies in high places, but it must be done._

 _4724_

 _They are after me, the organization has caught on to my propaganda and are now out to silence my voice. I can no longer stay in this place nor keep this name. I will go by Milon Aldavar Yestare while I try and make a new life for myself and continue my crusade._

 _4803/1_

 _There is some interesting news coming out of the west. Word of explorers finding a new land beyond the Steaming Sea and north of Arcadia. It is largely unclaimed land with only tribes of centaurs and sparse gnome villages. This might be a good opportunity for me. They are organizing peoples looking to settle this new land. If I were to join it would put distance between me and those that wish to do me harm. As a chronicler, it will give me the opportunity to write the history of this new land, from a perspective that is untainted by greed and corruption._

 _4815_

 _I have moved to the city of Korvosa, they have begun looking for settlers to establish a colony in the new land._

 _4816_

 _I have packed everything I own, and sold off some unnecessary items that I will not need in my travels. With the extra coin I have purchased a set of gear to aid me in Nordost, which is what this new land has come to be called._

 _4816_

 _We have just left port and are beginning our crossing of the Steaming Sea aboard the Pride of Belorian. The churning ocean will be our home for the next 44 days. Accommodations are adequate. I have 3 other bunkmates, all of which are of my kin. Not to sound crude but I am blessing my luck, as such a long duration of travel in cramped conditions in the accompaniment of other races may drive one to madness. I am the youngest of the four and will likely end this journey with a greater wisdom of the world from their teachings._

 _4816_

 _Twenty days have passed, the captain says the worst of the churning ocean is behind us. The Eye of Abendego has effects throughout the whole coast of the Inner Sea realms. As we move away the white capped waves get less and less. After the first week, my stomach finally became accustomed to travel at sea. For a time, I could not keep my watered-down soup and chunk of bread from rising into my throat every time the ship heaved from one side or the other._

 _4816_

 _We have finally arrived in Trampa. How good it feels to stand upon ground that does not sway. My first order of business is to find employment and a place to stay. Though I could stay in the wilds nearby, some of the flora and fauna are alien to me and it would be best to remain within the village until I learn more of what I could encounter out there. Staying within the village will also allow me to chronicle the development of this settlement and the people who live here._

 _4816_

 _I have managed to find employment here. It is nothing glorious at all. The harbormaster was seeking an individual who can keep an accurate count of goods and peoples coming and going from the Trampa._

 _4817_

 _Moved out of my bunked living conditions in the harbor. I bought some living space above the butcher shop. It is a small space, room for a bed, table, and some other furnishings. I plan on saving for a good writing desk as soon as I am able. I will need a place to hold all my supplies._

 _17/4820_

 _Scholars have begun to call the founding of this new land as the beginning of a new era, one that has brought us out of the darkness that has become the Inner Sea. This new Astra Era has been marked as when this new continent was discovered 17 years ago. In accordance to this I will begin marking my journal under the new calendar._

 _19_

 _I have settled on the outskirts of the city. A wooded location with a small natural spring nearby. It is peaceful here, and I find myself reaching back to my elvish roots. Living in a city environment for so long I had forgotten the songs sung by the world and all its natural wonders. On top of my usual writing and keeping up with local organizations to ensure their intentions are true, I have taken to studying the various plant and animal life that can be found here. Interestingly much of the flora and fauna resemble those species found within the Inner Sea realms. The investigative nature of some of my previous work has made the flow into this new type of research an easy transition. I find it rewarding and relaxing being able to do this and sharing my newfound discoveries with local scholars._

 _23_

 _I met someone today, while out at the market. You could say we bumped into each other. She said her name was Lorelei Yescaryn, an elf living in the southern quarters of the city. Her smile radiated with so much life. I cannot remove the image of her face from my mind. Her flowing blond hair and elvish braid. She had a glitter in her eyes that I could not avert my gaze from. She smelled of spring blooms. I found myself stuttering my words as I tried to speak with her. "Sorry" I said, "here take some of my apples" as I planted several apples into her basket to replace the ones that tumbled to the ground. She thanked me and asked my name, so I told her. "Glad to meet you Mr. Yestere" she said to me, "no Mr. please" I responded. "Oh, I see then" I think she flushed a little when she said that. "I hope to see you again sometime, Milon" she stated and walked back through the crowd. I stared off for some time after. I do hope I get to see her again._

 _23_

 _I saw her again! I happened to be in the southern quarters looking for storage pottery. Turns out she is a potter. I think I may have startled her when I walked into the shop, as when she turned and saw me her hand slipped and took off the top of her spinning clay pot. I tried to hold in a laugh, but she caught me and smiled._

 _After wiping off her hands she asked what I needed. All I could stupidly respond with was "Well I need a pot". She heaved a sigh "well what kind of pot are you looking for Milon" as she took hold of my hand and dragged me over to some shelves full of pottery. Her skin was so soft, likely from the clay._

 _I don't know how, but we ended up spending almost 2 hours just looking and talking about pottery and what I will need storing. This being in a shop where you could take two large steps and be on one side to the other. I told her of where I am living, about my garden, about the wild nuts and berries I gather. I discussed my research on the plants and animals of the area. All the while she smiled and listened. I picked out several small pots and several other larger vessels to purchase. Truth be told I could not carry them all, certainly not the larger ones. That is when she told me that she could deliver them on her wagon if I would like. Tomorrow, if I would like._

 _That is what we planned then._

 _23_

 _I can't believe she is coming here. I have never had a guest before, what should I have prepared? How much should I tidy up? These are questions I keep asking myself, but then I remind myself she is just here to drop off a couple of large pots. Once that is done she won't stick around. Will she?_

 _23_

 _She stuck around. After we brought in the pottery, she wanted to see my garden. Then she wanted to see the forest and natural spring nearby. We walked, wandered for hours. By the time we were back to the house the sun was beginning to set. She said she shouldn't take up more of my time, and that she should be going and thanked me for the wonderful day._

 _Once she was in her wagon, I blurted out, would you like to do this again sometime?_

 _She smiled and said she would love to._

 _23_

 _We took another walk today, this time further into the woods. We discovered a great clearing of tall grasses and wildflowers. We ran like children across the expanse, until we upset a pair of nesting pheasants. After we were chased off we laughed until tears rolled out of our eyes._

 _23_

 _Lorelei will be over for dinner tonight. I don't think I have been this nervous since my initiation day into the Shrouds. No, I have never been this nervous._

 _23_

 _Last night...was a good night._

 _24_

 _We came up with an interesting business decision today. Selling pots already filled with dried fruits, nuts, and other foodstuffs that I gather from my garden and surrounding wood. We sold out in the first day._

 _25_

 _Under the spring blossoms Lorelei and I were wed. It was a small ceremony, just the two of us and an elvish cleric of Findeladlara. Lorelei fancies the goddess Findeladlara due to her work in the arts. Personally, I have not considered religious pursuits since leaving the Shrouds. I was more than happy though to be wed under the eyes of the goddess of the arts._

 _29_

 _For some time now we have heard of a group of elves establishing a colony just south of Orestes, deep within the wooded reaches of the Embaracion Forest. They are calling the region Celahir Lossehelim which extends from the edges of Lake Jezero, into the tall peaks of Oneindige, down to Buiracl, and then up against the Acudits Sound._

 _30_

 _Lorelei and I have sold off what we could, including her shop and my plot of land outside of the city, her wagon, and our animals. Everything we can carry on our backs is packed. There are no roads to Therennore so we will be traveling by foot. Selling everything has netted us some good coin which we can use once to our new home to purchase what we need to rebuild. Tonight, we will spend the night with a friend, and depart in the morning._

 _30_

 _We have made it to Therennore, a town built around the forest itself. The natural beauty of it all is awe inspiring and I cannot avert my gaze from staring upwards into the canopy at the winding bridges and stairs leading to so many elf dwellings._

 _49_

 _We have been living with our kin for 19 years now. Lorelie has become quite the affluent artisan here. Her now close proximity to the natural world as sparked so much creativity in her pottery, painting, even clothcraft. We even had a wealthy human gentleman from the northern coast somehow find us here upon learning of the fine pieces that Lorelie is creating. He offered a sum of gold greater than what we could live off of for a year for several works. We settled on a fraction of it. Great wealth is not something we personally seek._

 _As for myself I continue my studies. Further south here there are many new species to be found. In the mountains to the west I have discovered several ancient ruins left behind by centaur and lizardfolk. Much of the language I do not yet understand and unfortunately the centaur tribes around here are hostile towards those who came over on ships._

 _72_

 _The centaur tribes of the western mountains has declared war on Orestes. There is word that a confrontation between Orestes soldiers and a small band of centaurs was left with casualties on the latter's side. The elves will remain neutral in this conflict._

 _112_

 _Research Entry:_

 _The following is a summary of some of my current findings from local ruins. Much of the little found text still remains untranslated._

 _As the age of Darkness came to an end almost 10,000 years ago humanity and the remaining peoples of Golarion began to rebuild. Nordost, particularly the mainland of Stora was inhabited by the centaur tribal peoples. They ruled from the Etusia Ocean to the coasts of the Mariposyan Sea, the Oneindige Mountains served as a natural barrier keeping the tribal people separated from the nomadic gnomes who were driven from the wilds of the fey and now travel the lands to the east of the Oneindige all the way to the Nucifera and Niaci Seas. Throughout these lands the lizard folk lived quietly in the swamps and marshes of both the mainland of Stora and were the only intelligent creature to inhabit the island of Andra._

 _216_

 _For so long we have been considering it. Now we have decided. We are going to have a child._

 _217_

 _Tarian Yestare is his name, born to us on this day of the year 217 of the 3rd Astra Age. Lorelei and I are overcome with joy. The township's astrologian has said that he was born under a good star and that his future holds great things for him._

 _278_

 _It has been some time since the last time I scribed my thoughts upon these pages. This dusty old tome had been buried beneath many other books and research material. Upon Tarian's birth I had become a little absentminded towards much of my research. One love had replaced another. Tarian has been a beacon of light in the lives of Lorelei and I. He is now 61 years old now, it seems like such a short while ago that I rocked him back in forth in my arms beneath the protective branches of the great willow that stood near our home. Now he has sprouted into a young man, eager to explore the world. Which brings me back to how I and why I dug up this old notebook. We have begun to clean out our home, slowly selling and giving away possessions. We are preparing to make a move, explore if you would, the lands to the west. Tarian is now old enough that he can assist with this process. The boy has been having mixed feeling about it, though he denies it all of course. On one hand, he has grown up with many of his own people here, and has some friends I know he will miss, on the other he is a curious lad, always in search of something. Like his father, he always wants to know more._

 _We are not in a rush to leave, it may still be several years before we decide to make this great leap forward._

 _323_

 _I have waited far too long in moving my family. I have an uneasy feeling, like at times I am being watched. There have been rumors by some of the townsfolk of humans being seen in the woods. They are hooded, and hide their faces behind terrible masks. After all these years, I thought I had fled my past, thinking it could never catch up to me. A fool I was in thinking that, and now my family is in danger. We shall leave the day after tomorrow, to where I shall not say in the case this notebook falls into the wrong hands._

 _323_

 _Our bags are packed, the wagon ready, the horses rearing to go. I will try and write while on the trail north. My next large entry will not likely happen until we reach our destination._


	61. Epilogue: 29th of Neth-1st of Abadius

**29th of Neth-1st of Abadius:** **The New Astra Era**

At precisely nine o'clock, on the eve before the first of Abadius, Lothar steps out onto the stage that had been erected for the celebration of the New Astra Era with lute in hand. He grins widely as he looks up and out onto the audience dimly-lit with an orange glow by torches set at intervals into the frosty grass. Behind him, off the back of the open stage, Lo can see the pale blue glow of the Starstone reflected in the glassy surface of the new lake. The slope of the land that leads down to the lake makes the perfect natural amphitheatre for his performance, and after the full day of eating, drinking, and dancing, the people of Nordost were ready to hear him. Of course, many residents had already heard him. They had listened to him as he retold the story of the Starstone's resurrection, although what he said could be categorized as 'mostly accurate' owing to the fact that he was high on most nights. The fading memory of ladies (and gentlemen) of the night mingled with his stories, and sometimes the reality proved challenging for him to conjure on command, but none had heard this song. He had kept _The Song_ a secret until now: all the words, all the notes, all the strummed chords rehearsed in secret for this moment, this celebration of the new year and the new era.

Those that had worked on the preparations for the festival had pulled out all the stops. He and his comrades were guests of honor: their heads were adorned with wreaths of holly, their cups were never empty, and they were seated at the heads of tables for all the feasts. Lo had his hands full as a self-nominated chief of frivolity, pressing his friends for just one more drink, just one more dance, just one more impromptu song and jig. In the forefront of his revelry was _The Song_ , this song, this music that he had worked tirelessly on composing. It was a tribute to the goddess Eden's song, never to be repeated, never perfected, and barely recalled save for the overwhelming emotions of true sadness, love, and longing. He could see the notes of his tribute dance across his vision as he takes Poppet's and Myne's hands to encourage them to dance, the tune rising and falling in pitch as he poured more spiced wine for Tarian, Roth, and Mastodon, his fingers along the chords of his lute as he shook hands with Alex, who calls it a night to return a tired Sara to her room.

He sways slightly in the chilly night breeze as he comes to a stop in the center of the stage. It had been his daily activity to smoke pipeweed with the halfling diplomats, or to happily consume any upper, downer, and hallucinogenic that he could get his hands on while trapped in this country, but tonight the smiling small folk offered mushrooms, which were having a bit of a colorful and mind-bending effect on him. Thanks to a combination of the drugs, drinks, and an Endure Elements spell cast on him from Myne, he did not feel the winter breeze bearing down on him, but as it rifled his long, loose hair, he had to steady himself from the sensation that it would pull him away.

He releases a giddy chuckle at the feeling; the vibes of excited anticipation from the crowd combined with the mushroom-enhanced breeze gives him the fuel he needs to play out the first few notes of _The Song_ to quiet the audience. He stops when he feels the press of the night's silence, and launches once more into _The Song_ , fresh from the beginning. His voice is cool and clear, like the lake water, and the plucked chords of the lute produce droplets of sorrow and regret. The melody of _The Song_ effortlessly plays out for Lo - he could have played it in his sleep considering the amount of time he had worked on it. He holds the crowd of onlookers spellbound as he plays for three hours without resting, tirelessly playing out his tribute to Eden's Song, and her love.

When he plays out the last notes, and takes his bow, he looks out on the tear-stained, red-eyed, and speechless crowd. Moments later when they finally come to their senses, they give Lo a standing ovation, showering him with flowers, confetti, and undergarments from a few eager ladies and gentlemen. Lo feels the force of the crowd like a wave crashing over him, and he takes a step back to recover from the emotional blast. The breeze blows his hair back, and he takes a breath to fill himself with the thrill. The cheers continue as he takes another bow, and as he raises his head up to take in the audience once more, he catches the eye of William the Violet Minstrel standing in the front row enthusiastically screaming Lo's name.

Lo finally takes his leave of the stage, stepping away from the illuminated space, and letting his eyes adjust to the dim glow of the Starstone. It is enough light to see William waiting for him just beyond the planks, and Lo grins as he sees the magnificent half-elf arm-in-arm with a female kitsune, and a strange-looking human male with shiny, almost metallic-silver colored hair. Arm-in-arm, and hanging off the female kitsune is a female lizardfolk, who is giggling with excited laughter and giving Lo a smile. They all appear to be drunk or high, given their struggles with standing as one unit, and Lo gives the foursome a grin as they wave him over.

William ushers Lo into the many-armed embrace, and with all his normal eloquence and grace says, "It was magnificent, Lothar! Fantastic! The musical societies will be talking about this performance for years! I found a few companions that feel the same! They want to know you Lo! Let's blow this stage!"

Lo takes in the Violet Minstrel in all his glory, noting William's dilated eyes that were his only giveaway that he was not sober before saying, "I'm not sure of the time, dear friend, nor do I particularly care," he gives his soft yellow eyebrows a waggle and continues, "aside from finding a secluded place and partaking in whatever you lot have gotten yourselves into. It's party time."

The fox-like kitsune shyly holds out a silver flask to Lo, who gratefully accepts it, unscrews the cap and takes a deep pull. He finds the lovely, sweet nectar and corresponding burn of a liquor, and swallows it down to clear his parched throat. The foursome starts to guide Lo away from the stage, heading in the direction of the city gates, and Lo takes another deep breath to further compose himself after the exhausting performance. He can feel the eyes of his four companions on him, especially William, for whom he held a special place in his heart (and other parts). Admirers could come and go; even these three strangers would likely fill him just for the night, and then disappear with the morning, but William was the type of person that he hoped he could continuously find in his life; not necessarily to make him a permanent part of his life (Lo just did not make those kinds of connections to people), but Lo would be happy to at least run into William now and again.

Most of his comrades were leaving in the morning on a ship, bound for Luna, and then Betty's Bay, on the central, southern coast of Stora between Kish and Onogoro. It would be a long trip, giving the group another month to spend together. Once in Betty's Bay though, the group would scatter to the winds. He planned to board the same ship, giving himself another month to figure out what he truly wanted to do, and he cared little for who might follow.

He hears William speak through his reveries, "Lo, I wish we could have been in Zerzura for the new year, but I feel like your performance has made up for the loss."

Lo perks up at the thought of the legendary cosmopolitan city in Orestes, "Oh? Zerzura is the place to be for a new year's party, then?"

"Lo, it is _the_ place to be. I love my city of Morrona, the Rose of Reynes, but Zerzura is known for the arts, especially the performing arts. When it was occupied by Isidore, a lot of those artisans were suppressed and went underground. Now that they have been liberated, I have heard word that the arts have had a resurgence. What better platform for display than a new year's _and_ liberation party?"

William reaches into the sides of his cloak, and produces a glass flask with a cork stopper which he holds out to Lo. Lo gratefully takes the flask and quickly takes note of the silvery liquid contents before he pulls out the stopper and takes a swig.

He tastes a sweetness with a finish of metal, and William grins at his shudder of enjoyment, "Silvertongue. You'll find your lips looser than normal, and your mind honed...or perhaps expanded."

Lo matches William's grin with one of his own, "As if my lips could get any looser."

The metallic-haired male hanging off William speaks up, "It is certainly helping me. By the gods, I cannot believe I am talking to one of The Seven. Is it true that you flashed the entire Shroud army even as Golarion was about to end?"

Lo gives the male a closer once-over, recognizing him as an Aasimar - human with a touch of the celestial - and mentally adds his figure to the list of bodies to see in his bed, preferably naked, before indulging the Aasimar's curiosity, "I did. I have been gifted a magical shirt from the gods, so when I flash something...it's more than just me that they get to see."

At the request for a secluded place to enjoy the company of each other, Lothar suggests his own room in the palace: a large bed with velvet trimmings, a private stock of drugs that Lo had been stashing away as he was able to acquire them, and plenty of floor space next to the fire. He had never told the other members of the group how good he had it; just from random luck he was assigned the corner suite in the guest wing, giving him more floor space and a bigger bed than the others. He had supplied the bed with plush, yet disposable bedclothes, because he knew how he operated. It worked out well, considering his habits, and tonight would be his last night in the room. He would use it well.

Hours later, in the early pre-dawn darkness, Lo, with his pack on his shoulders, shakily stumbles his way to the docks just outside the city walls alone.

 _Although not truly alone_ , he muses.

He walks with a headache that would bring down a god, and a taste in his mouth that could not be brushed away. The ship bound for Luna with most of the group was going to leave later in the day, and he did not want to miss the ship by sleeping through the launch. In his drug-addled and sleep-deprived mind, his best option is to board the ship before he passes out, and simply wake up en-route. It was fool-proof. He walks up the gangplank, and giggles to himself as he recalls his birthday from nearly a year prior, when he also made his way across a ship after a rough night of lovemaking. Tonight's events would forever eclipse the threesome with the elves. For one, William was there to create the atmosphere with drugs, words, and timing. He could set a stage, and Lo was the star. And the three strangers, they played their parts as participants when called, stepping forward to join in, eagerly imbibing, stripping clothing, tangling bodies.

Lo runs his fingers through his hair, letting the tingling sensation run down his spine as he recalls each of them, and their role in his night. It would be unforgettable, and he knew he would have another 20 days at sea to solidify it in his mind, as long as the drugs would let it stay there. He finds the crew quarters below deck, slides his pack from his shoulders, and carefully climbs into a bunk in the corner of the room. Despite the cold air, his body was still feverish and sweating from the heat of his room, and he runs his hands through his hair again to feel the tingle once more before drifting off to sleep with the image of his silver-haired Aasimar lingering at his waistline.


	62. Epilogue: 1st of Abadius

**1st of Abadius: Scattered to the Winds**

 _ **The Vow of Yi**_

With his arms akimbo, Piāobó watches the waves splash against the bow of the ship, _The Princess' Tide_ , that would take him back to Luna. He takes a deep breath, reminiscing on his stay in Isidore, and the strange events that had brought him there. He had spent much of the past six months in quiet contemplation and training: catching up on events, and ultimately trying to decide what his next course of action should be. He turns to face the deck of the ship, and sees Saraneth grasping the rail of the ship, her red hair flying out behind her in the breeze, and feels a pang of sorrow for the young sorceress.

Bo's time spent in the dark gem of Zod's sword passed as nothing for him. When he was pulled out of the gem, he expected to see the ballroom in Morrona. Instead, he was in a garden far from Morrona. He, along with a very exhausted and teary-eyed Sara were hastily escorted to safety by a dark-skinned elf. They had entered an underground tunnel, putting as much distance between them and the companions who had freed him. Both he and the dark-skinned elf had to help Sara along, she could barely hold herself upright. When they had cautiously emerged from the tunnel into a posh study in a strange castle, the dark-skinned elf had silently barricaded the door leading to the rest of the castle, informing him that there could still be enemies that might attempt to take back the castle. He could hear the rumbles of siege weapons and the shouts of people outside, but all was still and quiet in the castle. They led Sara to a couch to rest, and she immediately fell into a deep sleep. There was little for them to do but wait, and he and the elf watched out the window that faced the direction of the gardens they had left.

He had asked the elf what they were waiting for, or what his friends were going to do, and she had said with baited breath, "They will hopefully save us all."

As they stood at the window waiting in silence for...something, a vast and powerful explosion had rocked the area. The shockwave had been immense, and he and the elf were knocked off their feet from the impact. When they were able to get back to the window, Bo looked in awe at the sight of the Starstone reborn. It brought tears to his eyes to see such beauty, and the shouts of war changed to celebrations for a moment. He could not help but admire the acts of his friends. They had saved the day somehow, and he was proud to have played a part. He also checked on Sara periodically, since her deep sleep was not disturbed, even by such a cataclysmic event as the resurrection of the Starstone. The dark-skinned elf sat by Sara to monitor her sleep as they waited for allies to find them, and the elf had given Bo a careful and apologetic look before explaining what had really happened to him: he had spent almost six months trapped in Zod's sword. Zod had been captured at a battle at Avalon in which his friends had been key fighters, and had traveled all the way across Nordost with Zod's sword looking for a way to free him. She also explained Sara's current state: she had been possessed by a powerful evil demon for almost as long as Bo had been trapped in the gem, and the force of the exorcism had likely drained her of life. The dark elf had expressed her deep regret and sorrow for all that had transpired before tentatively revealing who she really was. Bo had reeled back at the revelation that this demure elf was Namia, the cold-hearted torturer for the masked organization. He accepted her apology and celebrated her redemption, thanking her for her own part in helping bring about the Starstone's rebirth.

It was all too extraordinary to believe, and he immediately thought about his Journey of the Vow: he was meant to find himself and commit to a vow. When he started out, he had been unsure and unfocused, but he had been shown the path by others. They had lead by example, and saved the world. He would follow the Vow of Yi: _Be strong for those who are weak; Be righteous for those who are corrupted; Be kind for those who are abused. Gain power so that you might protect; Gain knowledge so that you might learn; Gain wealth so that you might share_. In that moment he had set himself in motion, yet how to start living his vow? He needed to return to the Order of Yi Jun Li, and then find the Drunken Master to continue his training.

 _ **The Winds at Her Favor**_

She had said her goodbyes at the docks that morning without tears, but as Poppet boards Coronal's flying ship, _Destiny's Chance_ , the true impact of what she and her companions had accomplished in their months together, along with the sudden emptiness of setting out on her own, began to weigh on her with every step up the gangplank. She would miss her companions, but it was thanks to them that she felt ready to seek a life of service through her healing, and to give love a try. With her thoughts fixed on Paeris, she had approached Coronal with the hopes of acquiring passage on his ship for the journey to Portilla. It did not take much negotiation for the carefree president to consent to her joining them for the flight; he was excited at the prospect of having a beautiful harrow-reader to add to his staff of candy for his parties. With her plans fixed, she had to say her goodbyes in Isidore, rather than weeks later when the rest of the group would reach Betty's Bay.

Poppet stows her pack in her luxurious cabin, aware that Coronal's ship is capable of such great speeds that she may only have one night to sleep in it before they would arrive in the Harbor of Anessi. She smiles as she remembers how attentive Alex was to Sara as she boarded _The Princess' Tide_ with Myne earlier in the day. As she embraced Myne with hugs, Alex was carefully re-checking their supplies, since he would not be making the journey with them. Of the party, Alex was the only one staying behind to continue to aid the military in the reconstruction of Isidore. The plan, as Myne had relayed to Poppet, was for Myne to fly the two of them to Kassen from Betty's Bay, with Sara secured in a specially-made harness to fit her Giant Falcon form. Alex would arrive in Kassen when his duties in Isidore were concluded, and take care of his family's affairs before his new Anian military assignment. Myne seemed to suspect that the two would marry, but likely that they would wait to speak with Sara's father first. Poppet smiles as she recalls Alex bundling up his love in her cloak, giving her one last heartfelt hug and kiss before allowing her to board the ship with her cousin.

Myne had asked why Poppet did not plan to continue to aid the Pathfinders, and she had confided in Myne her intentions to seek out Paeris, finally able to push her past aside to give love a try. She also felt a calling to use her healing powers to aid the poor, and if she could do so in Portilla, that is what she would do. She also sheepishly admitted to Myne her negotiation with the president: that she would happily spend time at his mansion performing harrow readings, to which Myne gave a giggle at how well the witch would fit in among Coronal's lovelies. Myne and Roth intended to join the Pathfinders in the city of Gangai in Kish after a well-deserved vacation. Myne would have a short stay in Kassen, and then planned to meet Roth in his hometown of Therennore in Celahir Lossehelim to spend time among the elves, specifically with Roth's family, before making their way to Gangai.

Poppet had given a cordial goodbye to Tarian, Mastodon, and Bo. She had a special place in her heart for the huge barbarian that had covered his face, and never removed his armor when they were both a part of the performers caravan. Now, as Mastodon strode up the gangplank, she admired his impressive form wearing only a black linen shirt, black leather pants and boots. Strapped to his back was Skofnüng, completing the huge half-orc's machismo. He held his head high, no longer ashamed or afraid of how his race would be perceived. She knew the barbarian was planning to stop in his home of Gangai; it seemed the quiet barbarian had family to see. Afterwards, he would work for Tarian in Ano Liosia as a formidable piece of muscle and brains.

Tarian had planned to stop in Gangai to make new contacts for his guild before he would continue to Ano Liosia with Mastodon. Poppet noticed that he seemed distracted as he boarded the ship, however, since the rogue could not find Lothar. No one had seen the bard after his performance the night before, only taking note that he had gone off in the direction of the city to party with a small group of admirers when he stepped off the stage. While Poppet remembered that Lo did not seem to have any firm plans of where he was to go when they reached port in Betty's Bay, she knew that he intended to at least board the ship. The ship's departure was even delayed as a search party was sent out to find the bard, to no avail. The bard had seemingly vanished.

On the deck of _Destiny's Chance_ , Poppet leans against the railing to watch the ship's departure. Her reveries of their accomplishments and the morning's goodbyes are interrupted when she spies a small falcon flying fast in her direction. It flutters to a stop on the railing beside her, and she curiously takes the small piece of parchment tied to its leg. She unrolls the scroll, and finds the following words:

To whomever of our party that finds this message: I boarded the wrong vessel. I am on my way to a port called Pezzack in a nation called Cheliax. Even after offering my wonderful services, the merchant still refuses to turn the ship around since it is loaded with stolen Isidorian weaponry. Apparently, this merchant will profit from weapon-smuggling for Cheliax. - Lothar

Poppet shakes her head in wonder at the bard, rolls up the message, and sends the falcon to roost at the Isidorian castle, hopeful that Alex would find the message as well. Just as she loses sight of the falcon, she sees the side-wings of the ship unfurl, and feels the ship lurch forward, slowly slipping away from the harbor. As the ship picks up speed, she makes the conscious decision to move below deck, remembering the full force of the ship once it took flight.

Back in the comfort of her quarters, she seats herself next to the window to quietly watch the clouds float by her. The winds were favorable, or so Coronal said, and the ship's progress through the clouds was impressive. All in all, _Destiny's Chance_ was like no other ship she had ever encountered, and she had to imagine that the great flying warship, made by the Azlantian Empire, would never have an equal. She hears a roar in Auran, recognizing the raging voice of the air elemental that powered the vessel, and bows her head in a silent apology as her heart fills with dread.

"Gods, help us all. This ship will be a curse."


End file.
